{"id":70015,"date":"2025-12-25T00:26:28","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T00:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/70015\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T00:26:28","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T00:26:28","slug":"o-little-town-of-bethlehem-volunteers-keep-shadi-holiday-attraction-alive-in-el-cerrito","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/70015\/","title":{"rendered":"O little town of Bethlehem: Volunteers keep Shadi holiday attraction alive in El Cerrito"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE SUNDAR SHADI HOLIDAY DISPLAY is a cherished El Cerrito tradition that has been maintained for 76 years now.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Midway up a bushy, grassy hill, lined on one side with eucalyptus trees and the opposite with Moeser Lane, the\u00a0Sundar Shadi Holiday Display<\/a> depicts the city of Bethlehem on the night of Jesus\u2019 birth. The handcrafted scene includes figures such as the \u201cThree Wise Men\u201d atop camels, an angel, a shepherd with a flock of more than 60 sheep, a collection of lights symbolizing stars in the night sky, and a large blue star lit overhead.<\/p>\n

\"\"Christopher Laursen-Bailey is a sophomore at El Cerrito High School in El Cerrito and a member of Contra Costa Youth Journalism. (Ishita Khanna\/CCYJ via Bay City News)<\/p>\n

Hand-built by Indian immigrant Sundar Shadi, who was inducted into the\u00a0El Cerrito Wall of Fame<\/a>\u00a0in 1990, the display was originally created after his wife, Dorothy Cotelle Clark, suggested he\u00a0make a display for the Christmas season.<\/a>\u00a0Beginning with a blue star, the display slowly grew as Shadi continued to create new models from a variety of materials, including papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9, plaster, wood, metal, fabric, plastic tablecloths, rope, milk cartons, and paint.<\/p>\n

These models were originally set up on Shadi\u2019s property on Arlington Boulevard in El Cerrito, attracting busloads of people from as far as San Jose and Sacramento. The models Shadi left behind after his death in 2002 were moved before his estate was sold, as Soroptimist International\u00a0member and former El Cerrito Mayor Jane Bartke initiated a movement to repair and relocate the display, upon suggestion from her husband, Rich Bartke. At the time of Shadi\u2019s death, Rich Bartke was serving as an attorney for Shadi\u2019s family. Previously, he had served as El Cerrito mayor and a City Council member.<\/p>\n

Preparing for the big reveal<\/p>\n

This year, members of the display planning committee showed up around 9 a.m. on Dec. 13 to set up the display before introducing it to visitors later during the 5 p.m. opening ceremony. That evening, committee leader and former El Cerrito Mayor Greg Lyman turned on the lights and music, as visitors gathered to appreciate Shadi\u2019s gift to the community. The display, which will remain up until Dec. 26, features lights and music that start nightly at 5 p.m. Shepherd volunteers are also present to answer questions about the display and supervise visitors.<\/p>\n

Planning committee<\/a>\u00a0members work on the display throughout the year, meeting on the second Friday and Saturday each month from March until November. During this time, members restore display pieces and make other repairs to prepare them for their annual, two-week appearance.<\/p>\n

\"\"Visitors gather during the opening ceremony of the Shadi Holiday Display in El Cerrito on Dec. 13, 2025. Display planning committee member Michelle Fadelli, center in red, makes some opening remarks before the display is lit up. It will remain open to the public until Dec. 26. (Christopher Laursen-Bailey)<\/p>\n

Some planning committee members have more specialized roles. Michelle Fadelli manages the display\u2019s Facebook page<\/a>, sharing photos and videos of it throughout the year. Fadelli said she especially focuses on photos from when the display was still next to Shadi\u2019s property on Arlington Boulevard.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun because we get a lot of responses and people end up sharing their childhood memories of visiting the display in the \u201950s and \u201960s and \u201970s,\u201d Fadelli said. \u201cIt\u2019s really sweet to hear those stories.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

This past year\u2019s repairs to the display involved repainting and applying a sealer to all of the sheep and houses of Bethlehem, replastering, repainting, and repairing the broken legs of the camels, and creating camels\u2019 beards by unwinding and fraying rope. Fadelli also reclothed the wise men, replacing their plastic tablecloth headpieces with velvet ones, and even decorating them with jewels.<\/p>\n

Volunteers behind the scenes<\/p>\n

\"\"A plaque honors former El Cerrito mayors Jane and Rich Bartke, who are responsible for relaunching the Sundar Shadhi Holiday Display and other community service. (Christopher Laursen-Bailey\/CCSpin)<\/p>\n

Like Lyman and Fadelli, committee member Donna Houser was brought on board by the Bartkes. For her, a day\u2019s work involves preparing sign-ups for people to work at night when the display is completed, and making food and drink for volunteers on setup days.<\/p>\n

These setup days involve laying a preliminary groundwork on Dec. 6, followed by the transport, unloading, and placement of the display pieces on Dec. 13. Once the display is taken down, the planning committee resumes their monthly repairs and preparations in March.<\/p>\n

As for volunteers, roles can vary widely. Scouts BSA Troop 104\u00a0is responsible for bringing the display pieces up the hill, after which they, along with other local volunteers, help to place the pieces according to the planning committee\u2019s instructions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just do whatever needs doing,\u201d said Beowulf Hootman, a member of Troop 104.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This sentiment was also reflected by other volunteers, who were directed by planning committee members and responsible for a variety of setup roles. This included prepping the ground for the models, creating the fencing around the display, hooking the star and lights to the fencing, carrying the models from the truck that brought them to the area, preparing the wise men and camels, and much, much more.<\/p>\n

\"\"The beards of the camels were made from unwound, frayed rope, and their bodies a combination of plaster, paint, steel and wooden parts. (Christopher Laursen-Bailey\/CCSpin)<\/p>\n

Already involved in the El Cerrito Historical Society, volunteer Jon Bashor was brought on board by Lyman. His role is a bit more specialized, as he focuses on putting up the fencing and directing members of\u00a0Scouting America, formerly known as the Boys Scouts of America,\u00a0in their work.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday we put out the snacks, get things ready, and then we get to work,\u201d Bashor said. \u201cWe started pounding in these metal stakes and are putting up \u2014 I don\u2019t know \u2014 around a thousand feet of fencing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other volunteers, such as Aubrey Cox and Nikki Hootman, were first introduced to the display when their children were enrolled in the Scouts.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year the Cub Scouts come and do shepherding and some Christmas carols, so that\u2019s how we were introduced,\u201d Hootman said.<\/p>\n

Through the Bartkes, Lyman and the rest of the planning committee, as well as Scouting America, the Shadi display has amassed many volunteers that continue to uphold its tradition.<\/p>\n

In spite of its success, though, Lyman voiced some concerns around the display\u2019s legacy. He said it is now necessary to be looking ahead and making sure there are volunteers who will keep the display alive.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, volunteers and visitors alike delight in and express gratitude for Shadi\u2019s gift to his community. Enduring for more than 75 years and including more than 500 handcrafted models, his world has remained an enchanting attraction of human love, connection, and holiday tradition.<\/p>\n

Christopher Laursen-Bailey is a 10th grader at El Cerrito High School in El Cerrito and a CCYJ reporter. This story originally appeared in CCSpin.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"THE SUNDAR SHADI HOLIDAY DISPLAY is a cherished El Cerrito tradition that has been maintained for 76 years…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":70016,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[18062,153,155,154,36889,36890,36891,7600,5527,36892,36893,36894,36895,36896,36897,1681,5609,36898,564,15299,94,15599,3734,20007,20963,36899,755,12441,36900,36901,36902,36903,25442,4345,36904],"class_list":{"0":"post-70015","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bethlehem","8":"tag-arts-and-crafts","9":"tag-bethlehem","10":"tag-bethlehem-headlines","11":"tag-bethlehem-news","12":"tag-ccspin","13":"tag-ccyj","14":"tag-central-valley-journalism-collaborative","15":"tag-christianity","16":"tag-christmas","17":"tag-community-traditions","18":"tag-contra-costa-county","19":"tag-contra-costa-youth-journalism","20":"tag-el-cerrito","21":"tag-el-cerrito-high-school","22":"tag-el-cerrito-historical-society","23":"tag-entertainment","24":"tag-event","25":"tag-faith-and-religion","26":"tag-featured","27":"tag-featured-news","28":"tag-history","29":"tag-holiday-traditions","30":"tag-holidays","31":"tag-immigrants","32":"tag-indian-americans","33":"tag-local-history","34":"tag-public-art","35":"tag-religion","36":"tag-scouting-america","37":"tag-shadi-holiday-display","38":"tag-student-journalism","39":"tag-sundar-shadi","40":"tag-traditions","41":"tag-volunteers","42":"tag-youth-journalism"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}