Undoubtedly some will applaud this news. Others might seek solace in an episode of "The Walking Dead" or in the "Call of Duty: Zombies Chronicles" video game.
After four years, the days of the Zombie Nativity in Sycamore Township are coming to an end.
Creator Jasen Dixon is calling it quits at the end of this holiday season. He will either place in storage or sell his unique Christmas season nativity display which includes a manger scene complete with hay, zombie baby Jesus and zombie Mary.
"To tell you the truth, I wasn't going to do it this year," Dixon said. "But I get hundreds of emails from people, local fans. It's almost like a cult following. They actually contact me and ask if it is up."
Not wanting to disappoint anyone, Dixon erected the scene Dec. 8 then later announced its return on his Zombie Nativity Scene Facebook page. As of Dec. 12, the post had received 40 shares, more than 20 comments and been viewed more than 1,500 times.
When it debuted four years ago, the nativity scene made news worldwide meeting with both celebration and scorn. Dixon and Sycamore Township battled in 2015 and 2016 over free speech and zoning issues resulting in fines and court action.
In early 2016, 27 misdemeanor charges were dropped against Dixon and he didn't have to pay $13,500 in fines issued by the township. The township didn't issue any fines against the nativity last December. The same is expected this year.
It's not worth the expense of township employee time and effort, township Zoning Administrator Harry Holbert Jr. said. He had no cost estimates associated with past zoning code enforcement efforts against the Zombie Nativity.
We don't' track that because I'm staff, and so is the administrative assistant," Holbert said. "Most of the legal stuff is done on staff time. When we went to court, I was the expert witness for the prosecutor."
There was no lawyer time or billable hours, he added.
If the township changes its mind, Dixon said he has an attorney ready and waiting.
The nativity will be up less than three weeks, he said. It's coming down shortly after Christmas.
Takeaways from the final nativity, according to Dixon are:
- This year's nativity is bigger and better than ever.
- The display includes a new, large north star and a few new zombie heads.
- He and his family are not atheists.
- The nativity has been a family project with his children helping with the creative process.
