Nativity sets of all types and sizes will be set up at the St. Mary Roman Catholic Church Social Hall, 312 Clark St., Hollidaysburg, from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, and from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18.

Attendees will receive a program and walk through a self-guided tour to learn about some of the sets, including the historic Nativities from both of the parishes. The family-friendly festival is free to attend, and the Altoona Community Band will perform a concert at the St. Mary church at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Chairperson Elsie Gibney described the festival as a peaceful opportunity for community members to see and learn about various physical interpretations of the birth of Christ. She estimates hundreds of different pieces will be on display from several Christian denominations.

“We just want people to share them and tell us why they’re special,” Gibney said. “It’s really a big show and tell.”

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Diane Stephens' nativity set compiled by her mother during the Great Depression is shown on a shelf in her Hollidaysburg home.

St. Mary and St. Michael The Archangel Parish have collaborated on events many times, but this is the first event of its kind for the parishes. Gibney was inspired by a Nativity festival that her brother attended last year in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has spent months researching and planning.

“It kind of never left my head,” Gibney said. “There are now a lot of us working on the event.”

The Very Rev. Alan Thomas, who serves both parishes, was very supportive of the event, according to Gibney, and plans on blessing all of the Nativities that will be loaned temporarily to the festival.

“That would never happen unless he came to your house,” Gibney said.

It will also be an opportunity for attendees to learn about how the birth of Christ is celebrated in various cultures and time periods, as some of the sets were purchased in foreign countries or passed down through generations.

St. Mary’s parishioner Diane Stephens plans to bring a set compiled almost a century ago when her mother was growing up during the Great Depression. The family would save up to buy one figure each year to go along with the stable made out of cardboard.

“It’s not the nicest looking thing, but it’s really special,” Stephens said.

She was inspired to become a collector of Nativities when her aunt handed down her own set. Now, Stephens’ collection has grown into hundreds of statues, wall hangings and even a pillow depicting the scene of Jesus’ birth. A glass curio cabinet in her home shows off dozens of sets year round, including one made out of the husk of a coconut from Hawaii.

Stephens said her friends and family are always gifting her sets they found while shopping or on vacation. One was purchased by her friend in Rome and has been blessed by the Pope.

Stephens said she will bring as many sets as she can to the festival and will share stories from the most special ones in the guide program. She said she is also looking forward to seeing different types of Nativities from others’ collections.

“I hope there’s a lot,” Stephens said. “I’ll be anxious to hear which ones are special for others.”

Gibney will also feature some of her unique Nativities at the festival, including a bright turquoise-painted set purchased during a vacation in Mexico. She said she hopes people will bring their children to the festival and learn about how other cultures celebrate Christmas.

“Everyone knows about the birth of Jesus, but everyone views and remembers it a little differently,” Gibney said.

Jeff Johnson, a member of the St. Michael parish, is planning on bringing several sets to the festival, one of which is his family’s 40-year-old scene made of paper mache.

Johnson is a wood carver, and plans to bring a Nativity scene he hand carved into a panel of walnut wood. He said has been carving for about 10 years and even kept one of his earlier projects, a set of wooden Nativity figures, which he says is very simple compared to the intricate panel featuring at the festival.

“I have very minute chisels and gouges,” Johnson said. “I thought that would be something different.”

Information about the festival was shared at Mass and on Facebook for a few weeks to gauge interest and collect volunteers. Gibney said some Sunday school programs were notified and may bring Nativities crafted by children to be displayed over the weekend.

One of the larger sets to be featured will be the manger scenes from the altar at St. Michael The Archangel Parish. Johnson said he and a few volunteers will be carefully moving the delicate figures over to the social hall to be on display. Then after the festival, he plans to help move the figures back to their normal place in time for Christmas services.

“We’ll make sure they get there and back,” Johnson said.

Lugene DeLozier, a member of St. Mary’s, said this festival will be a way to celebrate Jesus’ birth and remember the meaning of Christmas.

“I think we need to get back to that and realize what this is all about,” DeLozier said.

She plans on bringing tiny wooden ornaments depicting the manger scene and even one that was etched onto an acorn by her friend Dr. Thomas Long. Another is a sculpted baby Jesus surrounded by straw gifted to her mother by a nun from France. She said the homemade Nativities carry personal stories and is looking forward to hearing about other attendees’ special sets.

“They’re plain and simple,” DeLozier said, “but they mean a lot to me.”

An artist herself, DeLozier said if the festival continues next year, she may even paint a watercolor Nativity scene to bring along. Gibney also said she hopes the event will continue in the area in the years to come.

Mirror Staff Writer Linden Markley is at 814-946-7520.