The Shepherds of New Hope Calvary Church’s 22nd Annual Live Drive Through Nativity. Photo by Phaedra Veronique
LAKE HAVASU CITY – In the famous words of Sammy Davis Jr., ‘It’s Christmas Time all Over the World’ and last weekend, Lake Havasu was no exception. Three days were filled with nonstop festive activities.
The return of New Hope Calvary Church’s 22nd Annual Live Drive Through Nativity took place on Friday, December 6 and Saturday, December 7 at Calvary Baptists Church’s North Campus. Decades later, the church’s yearly event is still going strong.
Members of the congregation begin searching for the needed props as early as August to ensure that everything is just right for viewers. The nativity shows took place at dusk with the use of luminary lighting as their road to Bethlehem. The live cast demonstrated nine scenes of the nativity as it is depicted in the bible.
The cast wore traditional clothing for the portrayals of Saint Mary, Joseph, The Three Wise Men, and the baby Jesus. The show also featured real live animals for added authenticity. This annual event has become an alltime favorite for residents and visitors who love to embrace and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
The Lake Havasu Community Choir came around spreading their holiday cheer over the weekend at their Songs of Good Cheer concert. The choir’s performance of Christmas carols took place on Sunday, December 8 at Lake Havasu High School’s Performing Arts Center. In the mid 1970s was when some Havasu choral music minded people decided to put on a Handel Messiah show in mid-December.
The choir includes bass, tenors, altos, and sopranos. The group teamed up with Our Lady of the Lake Childrens Choir and sang seasonal carol favorites like The Monotone Angel, Jesus,Oh, What a Wonderful Child, Did You Hear What I Hear, and Bell of the Carol Kings. Tickets were sold for fifteen dollars per person and sales went to the not for profit’s music scholarships for the students of Lake Havasu.
Only four choruses were sung in that first show, but it was still a major success. The popularity of the Lake Havasu Community Choir continued to grow and began singing at shows in the springtime as well. Today, singers are a mix of different ages ranging from fifteen to ninety.
Smoketree Avenue, McCulloch and Acoma Boulevard, all had to be closed down for River Riders Motorcycle Club’s 41st Annual Toy Run. The yearly street fair took place on Sunday December 8th from 12pm to 5pm Created in 1976, River Riders Motorcycle Club is one of the longest running nonprofits in Arizona.
Riders at first gathered at Pirate’s Den in Parker, Arizona to head out to Havasu’s Flying X Saloon. The fundraising fair featured more than 1.800 bikes, food, vendors, 50/50 drawing, and live music. Known for their continuous donations to various charities, the motorcycle nonprofit received over 3,000 new unwrapped toys which will be distributed to the children of families experiencing hardships.
Proceeds of the toy run also went to another local nonprofit, New Horizons. The organization specializes in providing activities for adults with physical and intellectual disabilities.
Phaedra Veronique
