The famed Algona Nativity Scene opened Sunday (December 3rd) with some of the mystery surrounding its creation solved. Marvin Chickering is the chair of the Algona United Methodist Men’s Club that oversees the nativity scene. Chickering says the nativity scene was created by German prisoners of war in Algona.
Chickering says the six men built the scene in a year and he says its difficult to describe. Chickering says there are 60 figures made of concrete and plaster and, "It is an artistic piece of work that is like no other anywhere." The work was finished for the Christmas of 1945. Chickering says while it was known that prisoner Edward Kaib designed the nativity scene — the names of the other men were not known. Chickering says that changed earlier this year.
Chickering says the found out this summer that a man living in Texas, 94-year-old Horst Wendlandt, was one of the other men who made the nativity scene. Wendlandt’s daughter read about the nativity scene on the internet and contacted Chickering and others in Algona. Chickering says Wendlandt could not visit because of his health, but his daughter was able to visit Algona and tell them a little more about her father.
Chickering says they had no idea that Wendlandt existed and the other four men are still unknown. Chickering says Edward Kaib could not identify the others in an interview in 1985, and more recently Wendlandt could also not say who the other men were. Chickering says there’s also a prison camp museum in town too.
Chickering says they work together with the museum and this year will be the 62nd that the nativity scene has been on display, while the museum has been running for two-and-a-half years. Once the nativity scene is open for viewing its hours are from two p.m. until nine p.m. weekdays and Sundays and Christmas Day noon until nine p.m. Chickering says some 2,500 or more people view the nativity scene on the south edge of Algona each year.
