The following action report was written by the energetic Beverly Jones, who is District Captain in Central Virginia for the local Convention of States team.
On the weekend of Oct 14-15, the Lynchburg regional COS team represented Article V at the Historic Appomattox Railroad Festival!
Despite this being a major celebration in central Virginia, our team under estimated the magnitude of the annual event—tens of thousands of attenders from all over the state came to the little town of Appomattox for two days of celebrating American Civil War history with food, drink, games, music, artisan crafts, fireworks, and worship! 
Disregarding the heavy rains on the first of the two day celebration, throngs of Virginians attended the parade and festivities.
The COS team engaged as many as possible, discussing America’s founding documents and national values with countless interested citizens.
Virtually all expressed concern and even anger regarding the mismanagement of our nation by those elected to guard and protect.
The most common theme was surprise to hear that the US Constitution contains the means to correct this aberration.
Two days of exchanges with the crowds yielded over 400 signed petitions and many more promises to research the COS website.
How exciting that history continues to be made in this historic location that many of us have read about in our history books, since Appomattox is noted as the location of the surrender of confederacy troops at the close of the bloody American civil war in 1865.
Lesser known is that the depot was a strategic supply line for Confederacy soldiers in its era.
The Appomattox Courthouse National Historic Park is located just a couple miles from the rail depot.
The festival began in 1972 when the historic Appomattox railroad depot was donated to the town of Appomattox.
The festival’s organizers (who signed petitions!) were so encouraged by the COS message that they asked COS to participate again next season.
