 |
| Latte' Park |
Here is a question. When you look at the new designs for Kersting Court Park, do you see any room there for the Christmas Creche? It is a Sierra Madre tradition, of course. This Nativity scene has long been the destination point of the Candlelight Procession, an integral part of Dickens Village, and a key focus point to what has always been the city's traditional Christmastime downtown presentation.
However, from what we have seen of the new plans for Kersting Court, there would seem to be, to use the terminology, no room at the inn for the Christmas Creche. There are what appear to be permanent picnic tables nailed down where the creche had always been placed in the past, tucked under a perhaps too low multi-legged wooden structure designed to shield latte' drinkers such as those pictured above from a too hot California sun. Along with some very large barrier-like rock benches.
Is this intentional? Is it part of an effort to airbrush Christmas from public holiday presentations in Sierra Madre? Or did they just forget.
I do know that something called a "permanent holiday tree" has been included in these plans. A very tall plastic apparatus perhaps thrown in as a sop to what has been Kersting Court Park's traditional role during the holidays. But obviously that is not the same thing.
I do know that something called a "permanent holiday tree" has been included in these plans. A very tall plastic apparatus perhaps thrown in as a sop to what has been Kersting Court Park's traditional role during the holidays. But obviously that is not the same thing.
And there certainly is a narrow legal precedent for the removal of the Christmas creche from Kersting Court. Even in the kind of passive-aggressive approach possibly being applied here. What follows is one of many articles detailing Nativity sceneevictions around the country over the last decade or so.
You can read the rest of that account here.
I understand that the City Council has opened the "Art In Public Places" approach to redesigning KerstingCourt Park up for ongoing public comment. And the community will be given an opportunity to talk over these plans for what has long been one of the city's most important parks.
So this would be something that should be included in that community conversation, right? Because up until now this question had been completely left out of the mix. It certainly wasn't mentioned at the City Council meeting last Tuesday evening.
Even though that "permanent holiday tree" was.
![]()
Even though that "permanent holiday tree" was.
sierramadretattler.blogspot.com