Shown is a crowd and ride at Courtland Festival Park on Sunday at the Appomattox Railroad Festival. Image: Charles Conrad/Times Virginian

When Dr. Paul Harvey died last October, the Town of Appomattox lost one of its biggest champions and supporters. The fact that this year’s Appomattox Historic Railroad Festival was dedicated to the memory of the man who chaired the committee and worked tirelessly for the community seemed to be a fitting tribute to the former mayor.

On Friday evening, the Railroad Festival Committee kicked off the 2021 edition of the festival with a ceremony honoring and remembering Harvey.

“We’re dedicating it to someone very special who was a friend of ours: Dr. Paul Harvey,” stated Festival Chair Susan Adams. “Paul brought me into the committee several years ago. Here’s the family that welcomed me.”

“He was very generous with his time, and he cared about this community,” committee member Phil Jamerson recalled. “Back in my football days, we had guys that were playmakers. Paul was a playmaker. He made things happen.”

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.