Friday, April 10, 2009

Friday's FIVE!


Priest Bargaining Scene - Daddy played the Priest in the black and white stripe...


Palm and Garland Girls


Jerusalem Maidens



Katie...as Claudia
~~~~~~~

This weekend we celebrate Easter... Christians celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is a blessed time for the faithful to celebrate the life, death and resurrection of the Savior... This weekend we celebrate Easter by attending our local Church ~ Center United Methodist in Silver Lake, IN...and we took Mom to lunch and we gathered at Bruce's Mom's to celebrate in the late afternoon with the Lankenau family. This weeks Friday's FIVE! I am remembering Easters past...


1. Marion had been home to the Marion Easter Pageant founded in 1937. In the year 2003 the pageant was suspended due to issues with the building's plumbing system. The Marion Easter Pageant is unique in that no spoken words, lines from any cast members is ever used. The pantomime story of the last week of the life of Christ on earth is told entirely with song, dance and of great anthems and familiar hymns
As a child, my family was involved in the Marion Easter Pageant. My Pence Grandparents were involved in the first pageant and the tradition continued until the pageant ended a few years ago. My mother and my father were both involved in the pageant in high school.
As a child, I was a Palm and Garland girl - and can remember practicing at the YWCA. Little did I know then how deep of a traditions this would become for my own daughters. I was a Palm and Garland girl for a few years...and then later sang in the choir for a few years while in Jr. and High School. My mother was in the Ave Maria choir and Daddy was begger in the early days and later a Priest. My Grandma Alexander did make-up - Grandpa Alexander was a pilgrim on the floor for a few years and also built props. Katie and Betsy were both Palm and Garland Girls and Members of the Cross. Betsy was a pilgrim on the floor with me ~ while their Dad was Moneychanger and a Priest. Katie was also a Jerusalem Maiden. She carried the tradition into her own adulthood by being a member of Claudia Retinue and later played Claudia. It was deep strong community tradition that I am proud to have been a participant.


2. Our girls were raised in the First United Methodist Church in Marion. As a child growing up - my family were members of the church, but we did not attend regularly. It was different for my daughters - We didn't miss a Sunday ~ and we were often there several nights a week for many different commitees and activities ~ but the preparation for Easter and Christmas were the highlights of our Christian faith. Easter Sunday services at First United Methodist Church in Marion in that beautiful sanctuary - with the pipe organ made for a truly spiritual experience.


3. As a stay at home daughter of two daughters - I knew I would have to make their dresses myself if I wanted then to have the ruffled... crinoline dresses that I dreamed for them to wear.
The "Martha's Minatures" were too expensive for me to buy - so I would just learn how to make them... So- I took to the machine and with a McCalls/Simplicity pattern in hand...I would lovingly sew the girls Easter Sunday dresses. Mother would often make one - and I would make the other. We would carefully plan the colors and patterns to coordinate. We would spend hours and hours and hours with gathered ruffles and piping to make beautiful dresses that (If I do say so myself) put Martha's Minatures to shame....


4. Easter Brunches... We would gather with Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa Alexander for Easter Brunch after Church. In the early days, we would go to the Sheraton ... the downtown hotel in Marion for the brunch. Later, Mom and Dad joined the country club where we would go for our Sunday Brunch. The brunches were always a fun time - and at the country club, the Easter Bunny was present and often a clown or a magician. It was a special family time and I treasure the memories.

5. I've already mentioned the pageant... but it was such a huge part of the celebration ... and there are so many memories included with that tradition. Weeks and weeks of practice - the smell of the old Marion Coliseum... I still refer to that terrible tired feeling as 'Easter Pageant' tired...when we stayed up all night, or got only 2 or 3 hours of sleep to be able to arrive for the make-up call by 3:00AM - so we could be prepared for the one hour Sunrise presentation that began at 6AM. The smell of the make-up ... and the traces left behind... The hunt for sandals without buckles... the last minute run for panty hose - The quick, hurried change from the make-up covered faces... to our Easter Sunday best ... so we could make it to church on time at 9:30..... But the best memory of all...was the joyous sound of CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY ~ followed by the Hallejulah Chorus...with the sun peaking through the windows of the Coliseum. We arrived in the dark ~ and left with the Sun shining down on us reminding us...


HE IS RISEN....HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey lady i was in Claudia Retinue too! I better get some credit... i had to put on the miserable amount of makeup and the tight gold band on my chubby arm! lol
-Betsy

Anonymous said...

hey lady i was in Claudia Retinue too! I better get some credit... i had to put on the miserable amount of makeup and the tight gold band on my chubby arm! lol
-Betsy