Hundreds came to see a Christmas story come alive at the outdoor Solvang Festival Theatre on Dec. 10, as the 27th annual Solvang Nativity Pageant unfolded with locals participating in the re-enactment of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.

The outdoor pageant began in 1984 with local resident Earl Petersen, who was in the middle of constructing the Petersen Inn.


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With the help of friends Bob and Donnie Rohrbaugh, he brought in animals that he’d seen in a traveling show that came through Solvang that same year and called on local churches and colleges to round out the cast that would portray Mary and Joseph, Gabriel and his fellow angels, Caesar Augustus, shepherds and wise men.

The idea was to bring the “First Christmas” to locals in town who had never heard of it. Production of the open-air event has been passed from various families, with Steven Battaglia and Janette Swanson bringing the show to life since 2007.

jfoster@syvjournal.com