United Presbyterian Church illuminates season with crèche display on Hornell Main Street

Neal Simon, Hornell Evening Tribune
·1 min read
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A cherished Hornell Christmas season display depicting Christ's birth will light up this weekend, renewing a Main Street church's four-decade tradition.

The United Presbyterian Church crèche will be illuminated at 5 p.m. Sunday in front of the towering 150 Main St. church.

The church invited community members to “join us around the crèche" and celebrate the “meaning of the season" at the lighting.

The Hornell crèche, a tableau representing Jesus Christ's birth in Bethlehem, has been an annual destination for many local families since at least the early 1980s.

Volunteers place Joseph in the crèche in front of the United Presbyterian Church in Hornell in 2016. This year, the lighting of the crèche will be at 5 p.m., Nov. 26.
Volunteers place Joseph in the crèche in front of the United Presbyterian Church in Hornell in 2016. This year, the lighting of the crèche will be at 5 p.m., Nov. 26.

For some, the lighting signifies the beginning of the Christmas season in the Maple City.

By practice, the crèche is setup before the first Sunday of Advent and shines through the weekend after Epiphany (Jan. 6).

The original figures were crafted by Louise McCarty and Cyndi Besig with the help of other members, according to church history. Doug Barnard was the long-time crèche coordinator. In later years more figures were added and Al Martell and Conrad Hilsdorf built the barn structure.

More: Santa is coming to Hornell: What to know about an exciting holiday season in Maple City

In 2020, the church added a Star of Bethlehem in the east tower.

Watch 'Sweet Songs of Christmas' at UPC Dec. 22

For some, the annual lighting of the crèche at the United Presbyterian Church of Hornell on Main Street is a sign of the start of the Christmas season in the Maple City.
For some, the annual lighting of the crèche at the United Presbyterian Church of Hornell on Main Street is a sign of the start of the Christmas season in the Maple City.

The Orpheus Chorale with The Sterling Brass will perform "Sweet Songs of Christmas" at 7 p.m., Dec. 22 at the United Presbyterian Church.

Voices and brass will capture the spirit of Christmas in sound.

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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Hornell United Presbyterian Church nativity crèche illumination Sunday