Good News - October 2019

COVER STORY www.goodnewsfl.org 25 OCTOBER 2019 site visit on December 14, 2018. “It was fantastic!” said Welch. “To see The Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant mobilize a group of people toward a common goal is amazing. Obviously, the church has a great deal of creativity and talent… It was very impressive.” Compared to other Christmas perform- ances he’d seen, Welch said, “I think what was most interesting about the Christmas Pageant here in Fort Lauderdale is the complexities of the danc- ing and just the creative risks they took.” A fan of the cultural arts, Welch said his input to this year’s Fort Laud- erdale Christmas Pageant relates to the general experience as a patron. “It was already amazing inside, so I wanted to expand the experience to the outside. We will be lighting a 340-foot Christmas Tree on the west side plaza on November 24th at 5:00 p.m. with a large choir singing traditional carols, creating a time for people of all backgrounds to come out as we host a greater Christmas celebration in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale.” There will also be more of an immersive experience outside during The Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant, with a living nativity, a brass quartet playing timeless carols, and food concessions set up under bistro lights with beautiful streetscaping. For many people in our community, The Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pag- eant marks the beginning of the Christmas season. “It’s nostalgic and gives us the opportunity to present the story of Jesus to the community,” said Welch, extending an invitation to everyone to attend. A 36-Year Legacy For many of the cast and crew, The Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant is a labor of love that has them serving year after year. “We have five members that have been in all 35 shows in some way shape or form, whether volunteering front of house, singing in the choir, being stage manager or even being involved with the creation of the pageant from day one, like Sandy Casteel,” said Christmas Pageant and Special Events Manager Lorie Chi- rafisi. “It is very much a legacy program,” agreed Service Programming Director David Gross, who took the lead after Jeff Crevier stepped down as Creative Director three years ago. However, he said, “Jeff is still reading the book, so he’s calling the shots back stage.” Sandy Casteel remembers how it all began. “Pastor O.S. Hawkins and our music minister Bob Reeter determined to do a special Christmas pro- duction. At the time about all you got were the Chipmunks, and they wanted to do something that really celebrated the Christ of Christmas. My job was to pull together 30 different chairs from our fellowship who would then put together this whole production.” As the pageant coordinator, Casteel was re- sponsible for everything around the edges of The Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant. She did the finances, provided food for the cast, costumes, police. The Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant was originally held at War Me- morial Auditorium. With very little area to put on costumes and care for the cast, the kids were bused over. “They had to arrive right at the middle, walk in the front door of the auditorium, do their bit, walk out the back door and go back to the church. And one of our wonderful experiences was when the animals got loose in Holiday Park at night and we had to try and catch them,” Casteel chuckled. In 1990, Sandy was part of the team that flew to Texas to meet with the architects who designed their current stage and sanctuary to accommodate the pageant, considering everything from the hanging of the scenery to traffic flows. “That first year we were in our own home, there was so much more space and the demand was high,” said Casteel. “Over the years The Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant has grown bit by bit like a youngster as God has blessed it.” They began airing the show on PBS stations around the world on Christ- mas Eve, and sending it to our troops. “Before computer advancements, many of us were sitting at our desks on Christmas Eve responding to calls from people all over the country who had seen the show, received Christ and wanted to talk to someone,” Casteel recalled. After 22 years volunteering, sometimes 5 days a week, as The Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant Coordinator, Casteel continues to be in- volved wherever she is needed. You may see her serving corn dogs to the cast or sewing buttons on costumes. She’s served for all 36 seasons and has no plans to retire. “I’m 87 years old and I love what I do. It’s been a marvelous privilege to be involved and see people come to the Lord through this.” The Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant is “South Florida’s largest Christmas Celebration.” This Broadway-style production opens Novem- ber 29th and runs through December 15th. The performances sell out annually, so if you plan to attend, purchase your tickets now at Christ- masTickets.com. Sandy Casteel Photo credit:AbelAluart Photo credit:AbelAluart