One of the best things about the Convention was being there for sound checks in the morning. Many of the speakers simply did mic checks, “One, two, three,…” but the performers did a full on rehearsal. Walking straight up to the stage and experiencing Patti LaBelle, John Mellencamp, the violinist who performed an absolutely stunning rendition of Amazing Grace, the Japanese drummers, the Middle School Drum and Fife Corps,… pretty awesome.