BALA’S BELOVED NATIVITY ‘TREK TO BETHLEHEM’ BACK ON TRACK WITH NEW ROUTE BEHIND LEGION

Beloved 33-year tradition expects thousands after last year’s snow cancellation

By Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

BALA — After being cancelled by heavy snow last year, Bala’s long-running mystical Trek to Bethlehem returns Saturday night with a revised route, dozens of volunteers and the same immersive re-creation that has drawn generations of families for more than three decades for this Biblical nativity storytelling.

The popular outdoor event is welcomed back — and organizers say the weather looks favourable.

“We’re ready, and it won’t be as cold as last night,” said volunter and cranberry king Murray Johnston, who noted a southwest wind should bring milder conditions. He and volunteers — including two work crews of a dozen Beaver Creek inmates — have spent the week carving out a new circular Trek that begins, as always, at the Bala Community Centre.

Trek president Pat Gidley and board members John Crowley and Murray Johnston were out in the cold yesterday, today and tomorrow setting the stage for Saturday night’s return of the Treak to Bethlehem that begin in 1993. PHOTOS Mark Clairmont MuskokaTODAY.com

New path, same story

Instead of venturing onto Victoria Street,  you will cross Maple Street and down the laneway between the arena and Bala Legion. Tour guides will escort “travelling families” of about a dozen people at a time, departing every three to five minutes starting at 6 p.m.

At the first of 12 stations, visitors will be confronted by a Roman centurion before launching a half-hour journey through a series of scenes depicting the Nativity story, said volunteer John Croley on the freezing cold set Thursday afternoon.

Each stop features a brief narration from a guide along with character interaction.

Long-standing favourites return, including:

  • Angels singing from a snowbank
  • Wise men journeying to the east
  • Shepherds with live farm animals
  • A leper calling out for mercy
  • City gates and a Roman tax collector
  • The market filled with goods
  • The innkeeper declaring “no room”
  • A prophet proclaiming the coming king
  • The Star of David atop the Legion, leading to the manger scene with Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus
Glad Bryce helps Wendy Hogarth, brothers Matt and Ben Alexander, Susan Bowen and Rick Benson get their cosumes ready and pick up their scripts Thursday in the Bala Community Centre where visitors will arrive and be taken on their half-hour guided venture.

Lighting the pilgrimage

The path will be illuminated with 70–80 Tiki torches, 10 fire barrels, and the work of more than 60 community volunteers. The Trek regularly draws up to 3,000 visitors, making it one of Bala’s largest annual events.

After the journey, guests are invited into the arena where the “Jerusalem Inn” will serve warm drinks, sweets, and host festive carolling.

How to attend

Visitors may arrive anytime after dusk to register or join a departing group. Tours run continuously until about 9 p.m., with guides taking families through the route until everyone has completed the Trek.

Organizers remind participants to dress warmly for the outdoor experience.

John Crowley tells us what you can expect tomorrow night.

If You Go:

Event: Trek to Bethlehem
Date: Saturday, Dec. 5
Start Time: Tours begin at 6 p.m.
Last Tour: Approx. 9 p.m.
Start Location: Bala Community Centre
Cost: Free
Parking: At community centre and nearby lots
Duration: 30 minutes per guided group
What to Bring: Warm clothes, winter boots, camera, holiday spirit

Route Highlights:

  • 12 interactive Biblical stations
  • Roman centurion at the entry
  • Angels singing in the snow
  • Live animals with shepherds
  • The leper’s warning cry
  • The bustling Bethlehem market
  • Innkeeper turning travellers away
  • The prophet’s message
  • Finale: Manger scene behind the Legion

QUOTES:

“It won’t be as cold as last night. The wind will be from the southwest.”
— Johnston on the weather forecast

“Tour guides head out every three to five minutes so no one waits long.”

— Gabe Price

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