Here is a recap of what was featured in the Wednesday, Nov. 29, e-edition of the Taylor Press. The e-edition is emailed to subscribers and available at www.taylorpress. net.
LIVE NATIVITY NEXT WEEK
Immanuel Lutheran Church is offering a chance to get an experience of a biblical event this December. Hundreds of area visitors are expected to visit the church for its “The Pilgrimage to Bethlehem: A Live Nativity” event Saturday, Dec. 9 and Sunday, Dec. 10. The church has held the event for more than a dozen years.
The event is open from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on both days. Visitors can arrive whenever they wish to participate during that time slot.
As visitors come into the church, they will hear a choir that sings Christmas carols.
The audience can join in because they are common carols. Guides take groups on a narrated tour through the story.
The tour includes different stops in outdoor and indoor settings.
Immanuel Lutheran Church also encourages guests to bring food donation items for Shepherd’s Heart’s food pantry.
Residents wishing to volunteer or donate to the Shepherd’s Heart food pantry can do so online at www.shepherdshearttaylor.
org. For more information on The Pilgrimage to Bethlehem: A Live Nativity, contact the church 512-365-9494.
THE FABRIC OF VANDALISM
A local nonprofit said its recent beautification project has been vandalized.
Good Life Taylor hosted a yarn bombing event at Murphy Park Sunday, Nov. 12, where participants wrapped sewed and crocheted pieces around trees, stop signs and railings.
However, a Facebook post from Good Life said the yarn installations were cut and removed sometime from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28.
Originally, the Good Life Taylor project sought to prove that beauty does not have to just be natural, but can be manmade.
Julie Rydell of Good Life Taylor said the yarn bombing is artistic, bringing color and beauty to spaces that aren’t necessarily all that attractive otherwise. Yarn bombing is a nationwide trend, she said.
A team of four people put the donated materials up and sewed them together with yarn. Rydell said no nails or glue was used to place the art in Murphy Park.
While Rydell said the yarn bombing received positive responses while it was being put up, some residents have expressed concerns with how the yarn being left out in the park may affect animal safety.
Melanie Rathke, president of the Texas Critter Crusaders, a nonprofit group that seeks to help the Taylor Animal Shelter meet its needs, said she has concerns that animals might eventually ingest the yarn.
She fears that animals such as a cat, dog, duck, squirrel or bird may suffer injuries or death if they consume pieces of yarn that may have fallen off from deterioration.
The Taylor Parks and Recreation gave the group permission to place the yarn around Murphy Park, and agreed to monitor the yarn to ensure that it is in good and safe condition.
NONPROFIT TO ACCEPT DONATIONS FOR TOY DRIVE
Gerald Anderson of the Bill Pickett Educational Foundation said “every kid should have a gift to open on Christmas.”
The Bill Pickett Educational Foundation is trying to ensure that this Christmas season is merry for every child and teenager in the Taylor area.
The foundation is preparing
to host its annual Operation Christmas Toy Drive, which it has done for the past 10 years.
The group typically will begin taking donations of gifts the first weekend of December, which is this weekend. Anderson said the drive will last until about Dec. 20 or Dec. 21.
The foundation has partnered with multiple sponsors to act as donation posts. This year, the Taylor Press, Second Street Station, Mixtape and other businesses will be collecting toys at their locations.
Taylor Independent School District is partnering with the toy drive
as well. The group selects which people receive the collected toys by whoever asks to sign up online or by word of mouth.
Anderson said nobody is turned away. He said the group will not ask intrusive questions to determine if a child should receive a gift.
Children watch a performance during a previous year’s version of the Immanuel Lutheran Church event. Photo by Nicole Lessin
Kellie Ray (right) attempts to place piece on a Murphy Park bridge while Gail Samuelson watches.
Photo courtesy of Good Life Taylor
The Taylor Press will serve as a toy drop-off location for the Operation Christmas Toy Drive. Items placed inside the gift-wrapped box in our office will be donated to the toy drive. Photo by Hunter Dworaczyk
