source: Farm and Food Report
At the Two Spirit Guest Ranch and Retreat near Regina Beach, good ideas are harvested by the bushel.
Co-owner Denise Needham had always been curious about the one big story that moves everyone around Christmas. Her partner, Lee Tennyson, who also works as a United Church Chaplain at the palliative care unit of a Regina hospital, undertook to re-write the Nativity story in a reverent way and then interpret it in a contemporary setting. Thus, the "Christmas in a Barn Pageant" was born.
Last year, the two business women, who also operate a senior care home on the farm, welcomed 400 guests over 10 evenings to relive the story right in their facilities, with their livestock.
"Depending on the arrangements we make, people come to Homestead Hall. We can feed them a whole turkey dinner with all the trimmings, salads and vegetables," explained Denise Needham. "We invite people to dress in Nativity scene outfits we provide. We then move over to the barn as a group."
The whole yard has been specially decorated with lights in an arrangement that helps create the right atmosphere. Tennyson then proceeds to narrate the story while Needham cues the improvised re-enactors.
"Mary gets tapped on the shoulder in an improvised manner (she doesn't have to say any lines); all of a sudden our pony appears and she is invited to get on his back. Soon after, Joseph is handed the halter... and so the story goes."
Guests are invited to dress warmly and to bring an old blanket, as the temperature in the barn is the same as outside. At the end, guests are invited back to the house for hot chocolate. Blankets are often donated to people in need. Last year, the pair collected over a hundred for the Carmichael Outreach Project.
"We find that this is an opportunity for people to reconnect with the real meaning of Christmas. Someone loaned us a miniature donkey for the event this year. Last year, one of our sheep had a late lamb, which we were able to produce to be held in someone's arms in December. We also had a very pregnant cow at the time," quips Needham.
Asked if there were some special challenges in recreating the Christmas story with a multitude of animals, Needham recalls one performance in particular:
"Lee usually trains the sheep to go straight to a pile of strategically located oats a couple of days before we stage the pageant. Last year, one night, someone forgot to put out the oats. The four sheep were let loose and they went running around like crazy looking for their missing reward. Our guests thought this was a cleverly orchestrated choreography. I guess now... they know it wasn't."
The pageant also features musical pieces from artists like Manheim Steamroller, Reba McEntire and Jerry Vale... even Bob Marley's Go Tell It On The Mountain is featured.
Tickets are available for nights between November 26 and December 31st on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Other nights are available for larger groups upon request. Just call (306) 731-2200 for more information or to make reservations.
For more information, contact:
Denise NeedhamTwo Spirit Guest Ranch and Retreat(306) 731-2200http://tinyurl.com/5dn6n
At the Two Spirit Guest Ranch and Retreat near Regina Beach, good ideas are harvested by the bushel.
Co-owner Denise Needham had always been curious about the one big story that moves everyone around Christmas. Her partner, Lee Tennyson, who also works as a United Church Chaplain at the palliative care unit of a Regina hospital, undertook to re-write the Nativity story in a reverent way and then interpret it in a contemporary setting. Thus, the "Christmas in a Barn Pageant" was born.
Last year, the two business women, who also operate a senior care home on the farm, welcomed 400 guests over 10 evenings to relive the story right in their facilities, with their livestock.
"Depending on the arrangements we make, people come to Homestead Hall. We can feed them a whole turkey dinner with all the trimmings, salads and vegetables," explained Denise Needham. "We invite people to dress in Nativity scene outfits we provide. We then move over to the barn as a group."
The whole yard has been specially decorated with lights in an arrangement that helps create the right atmosphere. Tennyson then proceeds to narrate the story while Needham cues the improvised re-enactors.
"Mary gets tapped on the shoulder in an improvised manner (she doesn't have to say any lines); all of a sudden our pony appears and she is invited to get on his back. Soon after, Joseph is handed the halter... and so the story goes."
Guests are invited to dress warmly and to bring an old blanket, as the temperature in the barn is the same as outside. At the end, guests are invited back to the house for hot chocolate. Blankets are often donated to people in need. Last year, the pair collected over a hundred for the Carmichael Outreach Project.
"We find that this is an opportunity for people to reconnect with the real meaning of Christmas. Someone loaned us a miniature donkey for the event this year. Last year, one of our sheep had a late lamb, which we were able to produce to be held in someone's arms in December. We also had a very pregnant cow at the time," quips Needham.
Asked if there were some special challenges in recreating the Christmas story with a multitude of animals, Needham recalls one performance in particular:
"Lee usually trains the sheep to go straight to a pile of strategically located oats a couple of days before we stage the pageant. Last year, one night, someone forgot to put out the oats. The four sheep were let loose and they went running around like crazy looking for their missing reward. Our guests thought this was a cleverly orchestrated choreography. I guess now... they know it wasn't."
The pageant also features musical pieces from artists like Manheim Steamroller, Reba McEntire and Jerry Vale... even Bob Marley's Go Tell It On The Mountain is featured.
Tickets are available for nights between November 26 and December 31st on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Other nights are available for larger groups upon request. Just call (306) 731-2200 for more information or to make reservations.
For more information, contact:
Denise NeedhamTwo Spirit Guest Ranch and Retreat(306) 731-2200http://tinyurl.com/5dn6n
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