And I did indeed attend the re-enactment of the Second Virginia Convention of March 1775 at
Historic St. John's Church.
What could have easily come off as something hokey and overtly dramatic, turned out to be quite passionate, and at times very moving. "We" sat in the pew of the church as Members of the Convention, and some of the actors were also seated in the pews. The Convention was called to order, voices were raised, delegates were recognized, and we were all encouraged to respond "Aye!" or "Nay!" to the resolutions put forth.
They start the program off with an organ recital, which includes a sing-along of the various Armed Forces Hymns in honor of veterans past and present. As each theme was played, members - active duty and retired - of the Coast Guard, Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy were asked to stand up to be recognized and honored.
And right before we all started to sing "God Bless America", there was a moment of silence in honor of the most recent members of the US Armed Forces who had given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. They were both 22. Needless to say, there were more than a few people trying to sing through the ensuing tears, myself included.