A free Knoxville Christmas event that you won’t want to miss is Walk Through Bethlehem. Hundreds of volunteers from Church Street United Methodist Church in downtown spend four days putting the pageant together. This time does not include the year-round preparations that going into creating the event.
A Walk Through Bethlehem is just that. Visitors will pull into the parking lot of Church Street United Methodist Church and follow the flow of people. Other 3,000 are expected to visit for the 5 hours of the event.
As you enter the church you will be leaving the modern world for a little while. The first stop in your journey is a visit to the synagogue. The Rabbi will explain everything to you. There will be authentic Hebrew prayers and you will hear the blowing of the shofar. It’s not an experience that you will soon forget.
You will need to stop by the census taker for a brief moment before entering the Walk Through Bethlehem town marketplace. Tanners will be hard at work. You will also meet potters, metal workers, carpenters, weavers and other reenactors who make the experience authentic.
The scene before you is so real that you’ll forget that you are in Church Street United Methodist Church. Your journey will lead you out of Bethlehem beyond the inn. There is no room and no place to stay. The innkeeper and his wife will be waving you onward.
Soon, you’ll come to the majestic scene that is all that Christmas is about. The angels will be singing and the story of Jesus’ birth will be told.
A Walk Through Bethlehem is an annual event that takes place on a Sunday afternoon in December. Although the date and time may vary, the story itself does not vary greatly from year to year.
Visitors will want to allow an hour and a half to tour. The line moves quickly. Reenactors will be walking through to give you a taste of what is to come. Be sure to wave at the Roman Solider as you come in and get ready for a unique historic look at what Bethlehem might have been like 2,000 years ago.
Dates and times for 2010 are:
Dec. 19, 2010
1:00 pm. to 6:00 pm.
Church Street United Methodist Church (Map)
900 Henley St.
Knoxville, TN 37902
Phone: (865) 524-3048
Admission Fee: None
Be First to Comment