Beginning Saturday, Montgomery Evangelical Free Church again will present "Drive Through the Christmas Story," the highly acclaimed variation on the traditional Christmas pageant. The audience will never leave their automobiles as they see and hear the Christmas story. Over four evenings last year, 2,800 people attended in 778 vehicles.
The visual display of the birth of Christ is presented in nine scenes with charming animals, elaborately costumed actors and detailed sets in a 10-minute drive. The audio account is available in tapes and CDs in English, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Carolers will entertain along the route leading to the first scene, and children’s guides will be distributed.
The event takes place this Saturday and repeats Saturday, Dec. 17, from 6 to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday (Dec. 11) from 6 to 8:30 p.m., and Friday, Dec. 16, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Admission is free.
The start to "Drive Through the Christmas Story" takes place at the church’s Belle Mead-Griggstown Road driveway, where each car will be given a tape or CD advising the driver when to move ahead and explaining each of nine scenes. A menagerie of animals, including horses, goats, sheep, a llama and a donkey, will lend their charm to the reality of each scene.
Each evening 64 members of the congregation will portray the Christmas story in two alternating casts.
For more information, call (908) 874-4634 or visit www.mefc.org. The event will be held in moderately inclement weather, if necessary. The church is located on Belle Mead-Griggstown Road, one mile from Route 206.
Pageant of Peace
The spirit and traditions of Christmas come to life as Princeton Alliance Church in Plainsboro hosts the second annual Pageant of Peace.
The Pageant of Peace is the work of many area schools and organizations which have created the ornaments that adorn 20 trees. The lit trees stand together in a fragrant pathway and can be viewed at leisure.
Festive lighting displays will also draw the public’s attention.
Meet shepherds with their sheep and Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus in a Bethlehem stable. Wise Men on their journey share their gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Storytellers serve as guides through this living Nativity and the actors’ dialogue depicts their part in each scene.
The outdoor pageant will be held Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 15 through 18, from 7 to 9 p.m. Admission and refreshments are free.
Donations of canned goods will be accepted as part of the church’s ongoing support for Hurricane Katrina Survivors in Waveland, Miss.
Princeton Alliance Church is located at Scudders Mill and Schalks Crossing roads in Plainsboro. For more information, call (609) 799-9000 or visit www.paccma.org.

