Staff photo by Fritz Busch Erin Cowan, left, and Scott Cowan portray Mary and Joseph at the Springfield Nativity Pageant rehearsal Thursday.

SPRINGFIELD — The Christmas story of good news and great joy will be retold in a live nativity pageant at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 10 on the east parking lot of the Springfield Area Community Center.

The Springfield Area Nativity Theatre Association tells the Christmas story according to St. Luke with Christmas carols and stable scenes, a live manger scene with baby, a community choir and camels. Large painted backdrops recreate the biblical aura.

Scott and Erin Cowan and their daughter Cora will portray Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus this year.

The pageant time is about 40 minutes. Visitors are encouraged to dress warmly and comfortably with blankets and/or stadium robes.

Voted the Best of Minnesota Live Nativity by WCCO television viewers in 2017, the pageant is presented free of charge.

“I think the whole key is total community involvement. All the churches work together. We say it’s our community’s gift to the surrounding area. It reminds us that the birth is Jesus is still really important,” said Lucy Potter, who is in charge of pageant costumes.

“I really enjoy it, or I wouldn’t be here,” Potter added. “Many people let know they want to be involved in it. We have close to 125 people involved with the largest choir we’ve had in a long time.”

Potter said work on putting the pageant cast together began in September. Two rehearsals were held prior to Thursday night.

Visitors are invited to join the pageant cast and crew for holiday refreshments in the community center after performances.

(Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).