50th Appomattox Railroad Festival estimated as largest yet
Pictured are some of the thousands of people who attended the festivities of the 50th Annual Historic Appomattox Railroad Festival. Image: Charles Conrad/Times Virginian

The 50th Annual Historic Appomattox Railroad Festival may well have been the most attended in its history. The packed streets, music venues and food court could attest to that estimation.

According to Susan Adams, president of the Historic Appomattox Railroad Festival Board of Directors, the weekend crowd for Friday, Saturday and Sunday events topped the 30,000 mark.

“I have heard from the old-timers that this is the most largely attended festival since it’s inception. It would be fair to say over 30,000 throughout the weekend,” Adams said.

The annual festival began in 1972 in celebration of the gift of the Train Depot to Appomattox, according to Stacey Purcell, second vice chair of the Historic Appomattox Railroad Festival Board of Directors. Purcell mentioned that she had a conversation earlier Saturday with former Appomattox Mayor Ronnie Spiggle, who told her that he accepted the deed to the Train Depot.

There’s more to this in the current issue of the Times Virginian newspaper. Support local journalism by purchasing the issue at a local newsstand or subscribing at www.timesvirginian.com/subscriber_services to receive the print edition or view the full article in the e-edition version.