Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 5, 1994 TAG: 9402050047
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"This is unreal," a security officer groaned.
Seemingly from nowhere, a boisterous mob of several hundred people gathered Friday afternoon. They drove to the arsenal in a 100-car caravan, lining Peppers Ferry Road with headlights ablaze.
Their mission: greet and fete fellow Amway distributor Jody Lyons.
Lyons, 35, of Riner, was clocking out of his last day at work - at least, work of the 9-to-5 variety.
An Amway distributor for four years, Lyons has quit his day job and achieved Amway nirvana.
Success with marketing toiletries and other Amway sundries enabled Lyons to shuck the yoke of being a quality-control operator at the arsenal.
Now he is an inspiring symbol for his relentlessly optimistic Amway peers.
"It's an indescribable feeling," said Lynn Womack, a Salem resident who attended the rally dressed in a tuxedo and a leather jacket with a red, white and blue "USA" emblem.
Womack said Amway earnings allowed him to leave his job as a management analyst 15 years ago. "You never have to answer to anyone for the rest of your life."
Womack was among the patriotic throng that came from several states to celebrate Lyons' outing as a man of leisure.
"Jody's one of the most well-known, most respected people in the organization," said Peter Ng, a Virginia Tech student, accounting for the gathering's size and enthusiasm.
Participants said the gathering was hastily arranged over the past two weeks. Evidently, amid the rush and glee, certain details were overlooked.
The so-called "Freedom Train" did not obtain a parade permit. Organizers said they were told by police it was unnecessary.
"Had I known the magnitude of that thing, I would have said absolutely yes, they needed one," Christiansburg Town Manager John Lemley said.
"They said there would be no more cars involved than would be involved in a wedding," he added.
But the lengthy procession - which began in the parking lot of the Christiansburg Wal-Mart - clogged midday traffic on busy Peppers Ferry Road.
"The locals are calling - they want to know what's going on," said a dispatcher with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department. "They think someone died."
Also, no one told officials of the arsenal that the rally was planned outside the facility's main gate.
In fact, the main ceremony honoring Lyons was to occur on a hillside beneath a large, white U.S. Army missile. But a flustered security guard chased Amway members away when they began to gather.
The hillside above Constitution Road - the arsenal's main entrance - was off limits, he said.
The crowd obeyed but continued to grow as more Amway warriors arrived.
Several minutes later, someone shouted, "Storm the hill, baby!" In a rush, the hill was reoccupied.
There the happy rabble stood, cheering and waving signs such as "Free Enterprise Lives," as a silver Cadillac stretch limousine arrived to pick Lyons up.
Security guards allowed the limousine inside the arsenal gates, but ordered its occupants to turn off their video cameras while inside.
About 20 minutes later, the limousine returned with Lyons. Attired in a tuxedo and red tie, he stood through the vehicle's sun roof and waved as the crowd surrounded him.
A woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty joined the chant, "Jody! Jody!" as Lyons ran a gantlet of congratulations, slapping hands.
"We got a winner!" shouted a man into a megaphone. "I got what it takes! Nothing can stop me! Jody, I'm coing to join you!"
A neighbor watched the proceedings across Peppers Ferry Road with disbelief.
"What's going on?" she asked. "Why are those people protesting? Did the arsenal blow up?"
Lyons, interviewed at the door of the limousine, said working with Amway doubled his income.
Two years ago, he sold his restaurant, Lyons Drive-In, near Riner. Now he is through with the arsenal, too.
What next? "Whatever I want. I don't have a job," he shouted.
Then he led the "Freedom Train" back down the highway to a banquet at the Life Bible College.
Madelyn Rosenberg contributed information for this story.
by CNB