The Appomattox Court House NHP annual luminary program will be held this Saturday, at sunset.

The luminaries will have their best effect beginning at 8 p.m. Park grounds will remain open late to allow visitors to experience this powerful landscape.

Following the tradition established at the 150th Anniversary in 2015, 4,600 luminaries will line the Richmond- Lynchburg Stage Road representing each person in Appomattox County who was emancipated as a result of the surrender.

Thanks to the research efforts of a team led by the Rev. Al Jones, more than 3,700 names of those 4,600 who were emancipated have been collected using census and death records.

“When you walk along the Stage Road the luminaries are beautiful but when you recognize so many of the family names it begins to feel personal,” observed Ora McCoy of the Carver- Price Legacy Museum.

Anyone interested in helping to set up the luminaries may report to the park at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. There’s also an opportunity to help clean up by reporting to the Park at 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

For questions about volunteering, contact the park volunteer coordinator Alyssa Holland at Alyssa_Holland@ nps.gov or at (434)352-8987 ext. 234.

“The luminaries are spectacular and contemplative. They represent a powerful message about the effect of the surrender meeting on the nation and millions of enslaved persons across the United States. The fact that April 9 was known as Emancipation Day is a story that we are sharing through this program,” said Park Superintendent, Robin Snyder.