Rehoboth Beach businesses set up their own nativity scenes

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – It seems everywhere you look in downtown Rehoboth Beach, you can spot a nativity scene.

Eileen Miller, a visitor said, “I saw a pickup truck with a nativity scene in the back. I actually thought that was pretty cool, I pointed it out to my friend and thought it was really nice to have that.”

Many of these nativity scenes were set up by businesses and homeowners in response to the city’s decision to ban the displays from being set up on public property.

John Buchheit, a part-owner of Cooter Brown’s Twisted Southern Kitchen and Bourbon Bar said, “We’ve always had a nativity scene with our Christmas, but we put it front and center because the city does not allow them anymore on their property.”

The city says their policy is to not allow any religious displays on public property, and that’s why they are not allowing a nativity scene to be set up on their bandstand.

Some support the city’s policy. One viewer wrote on our Facebook page, “It’s not about being against or for any one particular (or no) faith. By displaying one, you are excluding others.”

But people like Ty Lecki, a long time resident of Rehoboth Beach, simply don’t agree.

Lecki said, “I mean it doesn’t cause any problem and anybody else that wants to put up whatever they have put it up you know.”

Overall, these businesses and homeowners just hope by showing how many people want a nativity scene to be set up downtown, it will change the city’s mind.

Lecki said, “I just hope that the city can see a way to stop doing these goofy things they do.”

We reached out to the city to hear what they think about this. They responded by restating the fact that religious displays are simply not allowed on city property. They said they understand that there are many different views on this issue, and in the end they respect everyone’s opinion.