Park City Gardens owner Sophy Kohler invites the public to enjoy an afternoon “away in a manger.”

The gardens, home of the Park City Nursery, will host its annual open house and live nativity from 1:30-5 p.m. on Saturday, and families can get up close and personal with live animals, get a custom-painted portrait and even partake in an impromptu wreath and garland lesson in a new greenhouse, Kohler said.

The animals, which have in the past included a baby musk ox, a camel, goats and donkeys, will be provided by Ivie Acres Farm and Petting Zoo, and will be present from 1:30-4:30 p.m., she said.

“The animals will hang out behind our greenhouse, amongst our Christmas trees, and they are all friendly,” Kohler said. “Children and families are welcome to touch and, in some cases, even hold the animals.”

Last year, the stable of animals included bunnies and little pigs, according to Kohler.

“Ivie Acres likes to bring something new every year, and all the animals will be accompanied by an animal caretaker who will be on hand to advise kids and families on how they like to be treated,” she said.

In addition to seeing and petting the live animals, families can commission an on-site water-color painting by local artist Morgan McCue.

McCue recently moved to Park City from New York, where she was a full-time artist, Kohler said.

“Besides doing custom work and her own original work, Morgan also runs local summer art camps and after-school classes for kids,” she said.

McCue was one of the artists who participated in and won the Park City Gardens’ and Gallery MAR’s Plein Air Paint Out event in June, Kohler said.

“Morgan is one of these community-focused artists who are just introducing themselves, and it was her idea to paint family portraits for us. She can also paint beautiful portraits of pets that can also be great gifts,” she said.

McCue will be set up in the Park City Gardens’ new greenhouse from 2-5 p.m., and attendees will be able to watch her work while listening to live music performed by violinist Maegan Sparks and pianist Jo Coleman, Kohler said.

“Maegan is a barista in our coffee shop,” she said. “They won’t just play Christmas music, but also some classics and Great American Songbook songs by (Frank) Sinatra and others. We’re excited to have them set up in the greenhouse.”

Crews put the finishing touches on Park City Gardens’ new greenhouse in the late summer, and Kohler said it’s the perfect place for the public to watch her decorators create wreaths and garlands during the holiday season.

“We used to make these decorations behind the scenes due to space limitations, but the new greenhouse now allows us to do the creating in the public eye,” she said. “People will be able to come in and watch our employees at work, and maybe even get an impromptu lesson.”

Park City Gardens will also set up a gallery of works by local artisans in its boutique during Saturday’s open house, Kohler said.

“We’ll have works by local candlemakers, painters, stained-glass artists, blown-glass artists and sculptors,” she said. “We have so much talent in our community, so it will be great for us to highlight them.”

Refreshments will include free cider, and small samples of new winter drinks, created by Park City Gardens coffee shop employees, Kohler said.

Parking, as it has been in the past, is free, she said.

“We have space in the north side of the gardens that people know about, and we also are utilizing our south side parking lot,” Kohler said. “You enter that lot by the greenhouse and you exit it from the other side of the coffee shop.”

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Park City Gardens’ live manger, and Kohler is happy for the chance to continue hosting it.

“We’ve had customers reach out to us in the summer to see if we are still going to present the live manger,” she said. “They tell us they are busy making winter plans, and wanted to make sure to be here for it. It’s so meaningful to me that people are making us a part of their holiday traditions.”

When: 1:30-5 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 11

Where: Park City Gardens at Park City Nursery, 4459 N. S.R. 224

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