BATTLE MOUNTAIN - People from Austin, Kingston and the surrounding areas are invited to enjoy a night of fun and holiday spirit on Dec. 11 at Austin's 17th Annual Live Nativity, hosted by the Austin Chamber of Commerce and the citizens of Austin.
"Come and have lots of great cookies and hot chocolate and enjoy a great evening with us," said Austin Chamber of Commerce Secretary Dee Helming.
The event starts at 5:30 p.m. in the Austin Clinic parking lot. It will feature local residents and live animals including horses, sheep and a burro. There will be 20 to 25 people taking part in the nondenominational event including the actors and set up crew. Anyone who wishes to volunteer is asked to call Charlie Vaughn at (775) 761-0048. Vaughn, the event coordinator, said more volunteers are welcome.
The event, which will last about an hour, attracted around 100 people last year. In past years, people have shown up from Round Mountain, Battle Mountain, Eureka and Fallon.
"It's exciting," said Vaughn. "It's a great opportunity to present the story of Christ and his birth and help prepare people's hearts for Christmas for the right reasons and not so much of the materialism we've seen it turn into. It's a lot of fun and the pageantry of it is well done. It sets the tone for Christmas and helps get you into the right frame of mind for Christmas and it's just a lot of fun to see and participate in."
He added, "It's always a joy to see the community come together to cross the denominational lines for such a special community event to honor Christ."
Vaughn is looking for a photographer for the event. Anyone who would like to take photos is asked to call him.
Community residents will be loaning the use of their animals and Young Brothers Ranch will be providing the hay, said Helming.
After the nativity, attendees are invited to the fire house to enjoy cookies and hot chocolate while the drawings are held for the turkey raffles. The cookies and hot chocolate are being donated by community residents. There will be 30 turkeys raffled off and tickets are available now at all local businesses, said Helming. The turkeys are being donated by chamber members.
A food drive is also being held for the Helping Hands of Austin food bank. Participants are asked to bring non-perishable food items to the fire house the night of the event.
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