If you want to share the real meaning of Christmas with your friends and family, a Nelson County church will re-create Bethlehem this weekend.
More than 75 costumed characters and live animals will present the Bethlehem Village with a nativity, inn, camels and more, bringing home the message that there is much more to the holiday than presents underneath the tree.
The annual event is one of the longest running and largest re-enactments of its type and is popular with local residents and travelers throughout Virginia.
Bethlehem is free to attend and open Dec. 12 from 6-9 p.m., and Dec. 13-14 from 5-9 p.m. at Hebron Baptist Church in Afton.
As visitors wander the village, they’ll find that the inn is full, the streets are crowded with the masses in town to register for the census, livestock in the nearby stables seem restless, and there is a palpable energy as an inexplicably bright star beams brightly into the Afton night. As Roman guards patrol the streets, little does anyone in Bethlehem realize they are on the precipice of history as the birth of the coming Messiah takes place in a meager stable, changing the world forever.
Visitors are encouraged to dress warmly, bring a flashlight and be ready to take part in living history.
Hebron Baptist Church is located at 66 Tanbark Drive in Afton.
For more information, call (540) 456-6863 or visit the event website.
Video: Bethlehem Village in Afton
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Crystal Graham
