Commentary Another country Christmas pageant Blue jeans and tennis shoes peer out from under


robes as young shepherds kneel before a plastic baby doll representing Jesus while a child pulls a micro- phone away from another at one end of the row of youngsters and another at the other end who refuses to sing. It’s another country church Christmas program


filled with amateur actors and children trying to rec- reate the Christmas story for, what appears to be, the largest congregation since Easter. Scenes just like the


Clint Parker


one I saw Sunday morning at my church were being played out all across the country as Christmas edged ever closer. A mother dressed as an angel tries to get her 4-year-


old daughter who’s dressed the same to say her lines as her time in the spotlight arrives. Te child man- ages a quick and loud “no” into the microphone leav- ing her mother to fulfill the child’s obligated role. “C is for the Christ that came on Christmas day.” Christmas or “Christ mass” was, according to those


who are supposedly in the know, selected to corre- spond with winter festivals or, according to Isaac Newton, was selected to correspond with the winter solstice. Christ was most likely born on September 11, 3 B.C. (read the book, “Te Star that Astonished the World” by Ernest L. Martin), but would it really feel like Christmas in September? Wise men enter and make their way down the main aisle until they reach the platform at the front


and ascend the steps and lay their Christmas tins representing gold, frankincense and myrrh at the feet of the plastic Jesus. In reality, the wise men actually might have shown


up on Dec. 25 to give their gifts nearly a year and a half after Jesus’s actual birth as they found him in a house, not the stable, and Herod ordered all the chil- dren 2 and under killed, giving the idea that some time had passed since the birth. Parents jockey for good camera positions to catch


their child in what is for some their first Christmas play, preserving the moment in time. After the children finish their parts, the pastor asks


for a round of applause for the young actors and ac- tresses as the Christmas play ends and the service is dismissed. Parents go to meet their children for hugs and kisses as adults look to go shed their robes. Another Christmas pageant is over. Weeks of re-


hearsing and practices all culminating in the end product to be presented to parents, relatives, church members and the once- or twice-a-year church-goers with costumes to be stored away for another year. I just wonder how long the original angels prac-


ticed for their big announcement to shepherds in a field keeping watch over the flock by night. How many miles did the wise men actual journey to get to the feet of the new born king? When did God get started on the stars which the wise men would follow? I guess that it took a lot longer to pull off the original Christmas than just a few weeks of re- hearsing and some bath robes, but I also believe that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.


We applaud Weaverville Town Manager Michael Boaz’s decision to make council agenda packets available


online on the town’s website. Anyone wishing to attend council meetings can now


Kudos to new Weaverville town manager Matt Tate


BCS offers personalized contact With the exception of true emergency calls that go to every contact number on file, parents of Buncombe


County School students are now able to choose how to receive notifications from individual schools and from the school system’s central office. Parents can now go online to set up their own personal contact manager account then choose to have various


types of alerts sent in different ways. For example, parents can choose to opt out of weather calls, or have them sent as text messages. Tey can have calls from the principal sent to one or multiple phone numbers and not an- other, select email options, etc. Complete instructions can be found on the Buncombe County Schools website at buncombe.k12.nc.us.


PO Box 2293 • Weaverville, NC 28787 Volume 8, Issue 51


Te Leicester


Leader


PO Box 202 • Leicester, NC 28748 Volume 3, Issue 51


Our mission at The Weaverville Tribune and Leicester Leader is to deliver fair and accurate news about the people, places, and events in our local coverage area. We hope to help further a sense of community and understanding for the residents and businesses of the area.


The Weaverville Tribune


Publisher & Sr.Editor Clint Parker Editor


Matt Tate


editor@weavervilletribune.com www.weavervilletribune.com


Mail: P.O. Box 2293 Weaverville, NC 28787


Graphic Design Advertising


The Leicester Leader


Editor & Publisher Reporter


Clint Parker Robin Wilson


editor@leicesterleader.com www.leicesterleader.com


Mail: P.O. Box 202 Leicester, NC 28748


Patrick Braswell


Pat Starnes Robin Wilson


Contact Us:


Phone: 828-252-5804 Fax: 828-252-5817 Advertising


Pat Starnes: 828-273-7672 Robin Wilson: 828-768-1040 Legals Angie Georgi: 828-698-9419


The Weaverville Tribune/Leicester Leader is published weekly by The Asheville Tribune and Mountain Sentinel, Inc. at 40 N. Merrimon Avenue, Suite 308, Asheville, NC 28804. It can be picked up at 40 N. Merrimon Avenue and many other locations throughout Bun- combe County. Periodical postage USPS permit No.023736 at the Weaverville, NC Post Office. POSTMASTER send address changes to The Weaverville Tribune, PO Box 2293, Weaverville, NC 28787. Subscription price $24.99 a year in Buncombe County, $25.99 a year outside Buncombe County, $26.99 a year outside North Carolina.


go to the town website several days before the monthly meeting and look under the “Town Council” tab for a PDF copy of the same packet presented to council. Access to such information is useful to anyone seeking


a deeper understanding of the topics council discusses. An open government is a good government, so kudos to Boaz for his decision.


So what did you get that special loved one last year for Christmas?


Do they remember?


Give the gift that gives all year long! A subscription to the


Weaverville Tribune/Leicester Leader Fifty-two issues will take them up until next Christmas & they will remember your gift each week!


A subscription is a great giſt for grandparents, parents, or children that have moved away or off at college! Just $24.99 within Buncombe County, $25.99 out of county and $26.99 out of state


Offices closed


Te offices of the Weaverville


Tribune/Leicester Leader will be closed from Friday (Dec. 24) through Jan. 2. We will reopen at 9 am on Jan. 3.


Updates to school schedule Te North Buncombe District of the Buncombe County Schools


system missed six days in the month of December. As a result, Jan. 3 and Jan. 14 will be regular instructional days for


students. Jan. 22 will be a protected teacher workday in the North Buncombe and Owen districts only, while Jan. 24 will be a protected workday for the remaining four districts. North Buncombe and Owen students will be in school Jan. 24. Feb.14 and March 3 will also now be school days for students.


4 THE TRIBUNE/LEADER - December 23 - December 29, 2010


Name _______________________________________ Address _____________________________________ State _________________ Zip ___________________ Name of Giver ________________________________ Phone # of giver ______________________________ Greeting: Merry Christmas _______ Happy Holidays _______ Others _____________________________


Mail checks made out to the Weaverville Tribune, PO Box 2293, Weaverville, NC 28787 or


Leicester Leader, PO Box 202, Leicester, NC 28704 or phone with VISA or Mastercard 828-252-5804


www.weavervilletribune.com


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