EL CERRITO — For the 75th year, an empty hillside off Moeser Lane will once again be transformed into a luminous symbol of peace, community and interdenominational holiday cheer — but this time, with something extra.
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For two weeks every December, hundreds of handcrafted sheep, shepherds, camels, donkeys, wise men, villagers, hookah smoking travelers and a mannequin angel migrate to a replica town of Bethlehem, accompanied by holiday music and twinkling lights overlooking the Bay and San Francisco skyline.
The Biblical tableau began in 1949, when the late Sundar Shadi, a Sikh immigrant from India, hung a single wooden star outside his home on Christmas morning. Originally a gift to his largely Christian neighbors for welcoming his interracial family with open arms, the illuminated display has since become an annual pilgrimage for hundreds of visitors from all over the Bay Area.
The festive lights briefly dimmed in the years leading up to Shadi’s death in 2002, just one month short of his 102nd birthday. But generations of former mayors, school teachers, retirees, electricians, grocery store managers and Boy Scouts in Troop 104 have stepped up to preserve Shadi’s tradition ever since.
In preparing for the 75th anniversary over the last year, dozens of community volunteers partnered with local folk artists to fully restore more than 500 handmade elements that make up the multi-faith motifs within the beloved Christmastime scene — marking the first time in roughly a half century that almost everything Shadi made will be on display.
That wasn’t an easy feat.
Shadi used to simply walk his figurines — forged out of stucco, plaster, paint, coffee cans, chicken wire, coat hangers, juice bottles and other household materials he could find — from his garage into a lot next to his Arlington Boulevard home.
But once the Shadi Holiday Display Committee took over, the scene’s 500-plus different components gradually began to show their wear after being assembled, disassembled, transported, maintained and stored for decades. While some pieces are easily portable, some figures require as many as four people to lift them with straps, ropes and flatbed trailers.
Over the years, several camels sustained broken legs and necks, a shepherd lost a chunk of his skull and numerous sheep ears and tails were chipped off.
Jennifer Sandkuhler, the committee member tasked with overseeing renovations, beamed as she showed off the latest repairs that will soon debut in El Cerrito’s homemade Bethlehem, swinging open the doors to three metal storage containers that hold the entire display 11 months out of the year.
Jennifer Sandkuhler checks on a flock of sheep figures stored inside a shipping container, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, in El Cerrito, Calif. They are part of the city’s Christmas display started 75 years ago by the late Sundar Shadi. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
The Wise Men donned new robes and turbans that were crafted from scraps of colorful cloth, replacing garments previously made out of plastic tablecloths and tinsel garland; Camels wore custom-made harnesses, measured and crafted by a local leatherworker in place of the reins refashioned out of leather belts; the display’s five dozen sheep finally looked like they belonged to the same flock, after volunteers repainted over mismatched eyes and chipped plaster wool.
“You wouldn’t get this (kind of project) in a big city, because everybody doesn’t know everybody like they do here,” Sandkuhler said. “By now, you would think everybody knew the story, but they don’t.”
While Sandkuhler, 57 of Richmond, started volunteering with her son and other Boy Scouts several summers ago — laying mulch, repainting (even more) sheep and repairing 20 of the display’s village homes — her dedication didn’t wane after her son left Troop 104 as an Eagle Scout.
“Once I discovered this, I just fell in love with the whole idea that this is his gift to the community, and now we’re continuing that on,” Sandkuhler said. “Night after night after night, people come and say how much it means to them, their families and the community in El Cerrito.”
While recalling past trips to see Shadi’s lights with his son and grandson, Mark Wilson, 73, decided to pitch in on a whim five years ago.
“Within two weeks, I ended up on the board — I have a knack for that,” Wilson said with a laugh, taking a break while hauling wheelbarrows of mulch up and down the hillside on a December Saturday to prepare the ground for the display, which he’ll staff as a “Shadi Shepherd” to guide and educate visitors.
Wilson said he quickly felt connected to Shadi’s cause; Despite not being a religious person, he said he quickly embraced the same dedication to these Biblical holiday decorations — a project they both started after retirement, motivated by their desire to stay involved in the community.
“This wasn’t about honoring Christianity, it was about honoring his neighbors, and I can appreciate those sentiments,” Wilson said. “I think the (Boy Scouts) and other volunteers feel the same way. They get a connection to this because they’ve helped create it and they help sustain it.”
This year’s milestone wouldn’t have happened without the late Jane Bartke, an elementary school teacher and former mayor who passed away at the age of 86 in May.
Greg Lyman, a committee member and another former El Cerrito mayor, said she was a “force of nature” in the community.
She and her husband, Rich, visited and drank tea with Shadi and his family for decades — a lasting relationship that motivated Jane to save the display after its creator died. Lyman said she was instrumental in rallying local organizations, creating the El Cerrito Community Foundation and saving the holiday tradition.
While she won’t be able to see the newly renovated holiday light display on its 75th anniversary, the city will install a park bench on Saturday to commemorate the Bartkes’ legacy.
“We’re now doing this work as much in Mr. Shadi’s honor as we are for the Bartkes,” Lyman said. “It took special people that were dedicated to El Cerrito to make this happen.”
The Shadi Holiday Display, located on Moeser Lane near Sea View Drive, welcomes visitors from 5 to 9 p.m. every night through December 26. Volunteers will stay until 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
