Councilwoman Debra Dorst-Porada, who helps with the scenes, admitted that it seems to be getting harder and harder each year to get the scenes assembled.
This year, the rain delayed the process, but there is also a lack of manpower to set up the displays, she said.
"We need the faith-based community to put their arms around the Nativity scenes," Dorst-Porada said.
Foundation members are in talks with a technical school in the area to fix the scenes. The foundation would have to provide the materials, Burciaga said.
For Burciaga, the scenes are a breath of fresh air from the consumer-driven over-indulgence that the holiday has become.
Commercialization of Christmas was a concern in Ontario even when the scenes were first commissioned, according to Daily Report articles in 1958.
That was the year a carnival took place on the Euclid median. Local ministers, led by the Rev. Paul B. Kennedy of First Christian Church, complained to the City Council.
The idea was to do something that focused on the meaning of Christmas, Burciaga said.
"The Nativity scenes are the story of Jesus," he said. "We are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ."
An Ontario man named Frank Chaffee is credited with the idea of erecting Nativity scenes on the median.
The first scenes debuted in 1959 - 51 years ago - and were made for Ontario by Rudolph Vargas, a sculptor who worked for Disney and also specialized in religious themes.
Vargas made the life-sized figures from wood and plastic. Canvas backdrops, said to have an almost three-dimensional effect, were painted by Leslie Sandford and Jose De Soto, two Hollywood scenic artists. De Soto had painted scenes for "The Robe" and other MGM films.
Vargas was commissioned to produce two scenes in 1959 for Ontario, paid for by the Kiwanis and Soroptimist service
This wise man s "box of gold" is not the only element to go missing. In 2005, thieves stole a figure of Jesus. (Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Staff Photographer)
clubs: "Shepherds' Adoration" and "The Nativity."
The Nativity scenes grew in number. Three were added in 1960, two more in 1961 and one each in 1962, 1963 and 1965.
Money was raised through Fourth of July fireworks shows, ice-cream socials, greeting card sales and spaghetti feeds.
Burciaga, who recalls visiting the displays as a young boy, said there was nothing like it in the Inland Empire at the time.
"The community was so amazed by the realistic look of the statues," he said.
The final two scenes depict Jesus as an adult, one surrounded by children, the other post-resurrection, with his arms outstretched. Both scenes debuted in 1968.
Vargas was called back several times to make repairs or replace missing or damaged figures. He died in 1986 at age 82.
After his death, committee members found another artist to retouch the sculptures, but she has since moved, Burciaga said. Other painters have replaced the backdrops.
Burciaga said he hopes to find professional artists to help with the scenes.
"People love to come and see them," he said.
The scenes were declared a city landmark in 1999 after a challenge by an atheist.
The scenes will be disassembled on Jan. 8, and Dorst- Porada said volunteers are needed to assist.
"Please come and help us with this long-standing tradition," she said.
To get involved, contact the Chamber of Commerce at 909-984-2458.
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