THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, residents are stringing lights, sending cards and baking up a storm in preparation for the holidays. Uniontown United Methodist Church will celebrate the Christmas spirit with a live Nativity scene, complete with real animals.

The church has staged the live Nativity for more than five years, according to Brenda Sebastian, who helps organize it.

Often the church has no shortage of volunteers to participate in the Nativity, she said. The number of volunteers determines the length of each shift. A typical shift is 20 to 30 minutes, she said. But, "One year we had so many volunteers that we stayed out for 15-minute intervals," she said.

Each year, the Nativity scene varies depending on the cast of animals, Sebastian said. But usually the production has at least a calf, a donkey and two sheep.

"One year we had a goat and a live baby," she added. "It depends on the weather if we have a live baby. And the baby doesn't stay out the whole time, of course."

Providing the animals are Dr. Mara and Tom Mullinix, who live on a farm outside of Uniontown. Mara Mullinix is a veterinarian.

Mara Mullinix said she picks the calmest and cutest animals, which are put in a fenced area around the Nativity scene.

"It's amazing how they deal with it so well," she said. "We try to keep the scene quiet and ask the volunteers not to talk. For some reason [the animals] seem to know this is a special thing. They're real calm and they're not normally like that."

Missing this year will be the goat Jez, she said. Mullinix said that the goat always misbehaved, except during the Nativity scene.

"He would silhouette himself against the other animals and he would be so calm," she said. "And he was normally not like that. He was naughty and would bite the other animals. As soon as we got him home, he would go back to being naughty. One reason we kept him so long was just for the Nativity."

Sebastian said she expects the usual good crowds.

"We draw a nice number of people," she said. "We have cookies and hot chocolate and soup. It's a really neat thing to see people come out for it."

The Nativity will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 22 in front of the church.

Community blood drive

The Red Cross is holding its fourth and final 2002 Taneytown Community Blood Drive from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the firemen's activities building on the carnival grounds off Memorial Drive.

Information: Waneta Sackman, 410-751-1356.

Cookies and fudge

Emmanuel (Baust) United Church of Christ will be taking orders for holiday cookies and fudge.

Rolled sugar cookies, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and snickerdoodles will cost $2.25 a dozen. Chocolate or peanut butter fudge will cost $3 a half-pound or $5 for a pound. Orders must be placed by Tuesday.

Orders: 410-857-0416.

Mayberry crafts

Historic Mayberry Mill Crafts will offer a variety of homemade gift items. Included are wreaths, paintings, ironwork and homemade candy. The holiday open house will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Directions from Westminster: Take Route 97 north toward Littlestown. Go three miles and make a left onto Stone Road. Go another six miles to Stone and Mayberry roads.

Directions from Taneytown: Take Route 140 south toward Westminster. Turn left onto Mayberry Road. Travel a winding road to the corner of Stone and Mayberry roads.

Decorating contest

Taneytown Heritage Committee will again sponsor its annual Christmas Door/Home decorating contest. The event will be judged next week.

All homes and businesses must be decorated and lighted by 5:30 p.m. every evening during the week. Entry forms are available at the library and at Every Bloomin' Thing at 9 York St. Residents also may register by phone.

Information: 410-756-2572.

Jean Marie Beall's Northwest neighborhood column appears each Thursday in the Carroll County edition of The Sun.