Each year, the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, hosts Christmas at the Library to celebrate the birth of Christ. Festivities include a live nativity. This is part 4 of a four-part series featuring the unique personalities of the nativity animals.
The animals come from Sam’s Path Petting Zoo in northeast Georgia, a mobile zoo run by Jeff and Jodi Gray.
Lucy, who originally hails from Tennessee, is a seasoned veteran in the nativity scene. And she is great with foal (that’s donkey for child). Nine-year-old Lucy could give birth to her third baby any day now, and if that happens, owner Jodi Gray is ready, although she admits she hasn’t yet had an animal deliver during a live nativity. Lucy probably will take a night off once she has her baby, Gray said, but the peaceful creature will be back the next day with her foal alongside her.
Fun fact? Lucy was almost 2 years old when the Grays first got her for Sam’s Path Petting Zoo, and she had a bit of a weight problem. At that age, donkeys weigh around 150 pounds. Lucy clocked in close to 300. The Grays adjusted her diet and eventually got her down to 200 pounds.
See the animals up close. Plan your visit to Christmas at the Library.
Meet Milo the camel from part 1 of the nativity series, Roc the kangaroo from part 2 and Zak the yak from part 3.
