The Parthenon Nativity Scene

There are always wonderful memories of Christmases past even though time has rendered the details a little less clear. Some are traditions that were celebrated at Christmas year after year. There are many from Middle Tennessee that will recall visiting the Nativity Scene at the Parthenon in Centennial Park in Nashville.

The Nativity Scene at the Parthenon was first installed for Christmas 1954. Donated by Fred Harvey of Harvey's Department Store in Nashville, it was 280 feet long, 75 feet deep and filled with colorful lights. The scene could be viewed by driving around the Parthenon along the park road. The Nativity Scene was a regular feature every Christmas through 1967 when age and disrepair forced the Christmas tradition to end.

The Parthenon – a full-scale replica of the ancient Parthenon in Athens, Greece – was built as the Fine Arts Building for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition of 1897. The exposition celebrated 100 years of Tennessee's statehood. Centennial Park with the Parthenon as its centerpiece was created in 1902 from the 200 acres that served as the Centennial grounds. On December 31, 2001, a celebration was held to mark the completion of the Parthenon's seven-year restoration.

It has been many years since the Nativity scene at the Parthenon was a welcomed visit, but it will remain a memory to be cherished.

— Dan Hardison

Image: 8 3/4" panoramic postcard of the Nativity scene at the Parthenon, Nashville, Tennessee, c. 1950s.

Also available:
Read or print PDF

Exhibition: "Light of the World"

"One thought again, as so often in the deep moments of life, how ritual of our faith fulfilled that joyous command: Let there be light!"
— From a letter, author unknown.

Light plays a significant role in our spiritual lives, but especially so during the Christmas season. Lighting the candles of the Advent Wreath leads the way to Christmas Day and the birth of the "Light of the World."

The above image is included in the online exhibition "Light of the World" for The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts (ECVA). Visit www.ecva.org to view the exhibition.

— Dan Hardison

Image "Let There Be Light"
Digitally Enhanced Photograph
By Dan Hardison

The Garden Gate

Within the garden
all is in order
everything in its place
everything as it should be.

Beyond the garden gate
it is open and free
with endless possibilities.

In the garden
I am content
but beyond the garden gate
I am filled with wonder.

— Dan Hardison

Photo by Dan Hardison
Maury County, Tennessee

Also available:
Read or print PDF
Listen or Download MP3

Going Back

It has been many years
since I called this place home
and even though
I have been back,
it seems so different now.

The streets I used to know,
the places I used to go
are all vague somehow.

Some things are familiar,
some have changed,
some are gone,
some are just forgotten.

There are people here
who may know my name,
but they belong
to some other time
that I just cannot remember.

Perhaps you cannot go back -
perhaps the people and places
should forever remain a memory.

But if you do go back,
you must accept that today
it will all be different somehow.

And the memories
will remain forever
in the past.

— Dan Hardison

Photo by Dan Hardison
Blue Ridge Parkway, Western North Carolina

Also available:
Read or print PDF
Listen or Download MP3

The Bright Road

This is the bright road to the mountain top
Beset with shadows and with paths astray,
By dangerous crag, by cliff's sudden drop
Into eternity. This is the way
That man might climb upon the verdant sod
And find among the peaks the peace of God.

On this long road man needs an iron-bound will,
A purpose clear that strengthens every hour,
A hand to help the weak o'er steepening hill
And heart to cheer the sad through darkening shower.
This is the bright road youth must climb with care
To gain the top and its good blessings share.

— James Still
From the book "From the Mountain, From the Valley: New and Collected Poems".

Photo by Dan Hardison
Cades Cove, East Tennessee

Also available:
Read or print PDF
Listen or Download MP3