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State Fair of Virginia

1854 establishments in VirginiaFestivals established in 1854History of VirginiaState fairsVirginia culture
State Fair of Virginia ferris wheel
State Fair of Virginia ferris wheel

The State Fair of Virginia is a state fair held annually at the end of September at The Meadow Event Park in Doswell, Virginia. Through 2008, the fair was held at the Richmond Raceway Complex, located in eastern Henrico County, just outside the capital city of Richmond. It is owned by the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation.The Fair has offered rides, carnival games, concerts, and typical fair foods such as cotton candy and funnel cakes as well as Virginia's favorites barbecue chicken and peanuts. The Fair has also offered technological, agricultural, historical, and livestock exhibitions and competitions, including pig races. Several of the competitions offered scholarships to students that competed. Entertainment includes log-rolling, snake handling, magicians, pig races, chain sawing, and stilt-walking. Vendors sell clothing, belt buckles, and other items with novelty designs The expositions have included: "Virginia World" which highlighted Virginia agricultural products, the better living center which hosted the arts & craft competition displays, the technology expo which highlighted Virginia technology industry, and "Young McDonald's Farm" which displayed a variety of young animals for the urban visitor to see. Additionally, one section of the Fair has included a "Heritage Village" which displayed Native American, African American, and Euro-American history in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article State Fair of Virginia (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

State Fair of Virginia
Dawn Boulevard,

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 37.850866666667 ° E -77.421758333333 °
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Meadow Event Park

Dawn Boulevard
23047
Virginia, United States
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State Fair of Virginia ferris wheel
State Fair of Virginia ferris wheel
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Meadow Event Park
Meadow Event Park

The Meadow Event Park (also called "The Meadow") is an event center in Doswell, Virginia. It was first called the Meadow Stables. The park hosts the annual State Fair of Virginia. On March 14, 2013, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation bought the State Fair of Virginia and The Meadow Event Park from Universal Fairs LLC of Cordova, Tennessee. The Meadow Event Park also hosts other events. The historic structures of the Thoroughbred farm remain on the 331-acre (1.34 km2) site. The park was the birthplace of famous Thoroughbred racing horse Secretariat, 1973 Triple Crown champion.The original barns that housed Secretariat, Riva Ridge, and earlier Meadow Stable champions have been preserved including the foaling shed where Secretariat was born on March 30, 1970. Meadow Hall showcases the Meadow Champions Galleries, the Triple Crown Room and the Museum of the Virginia Horse. Each spring, fans from all over the country flock to The Meadow for the annual Secretariat Birthday Celebration. In the fall, the State Fair features a Salute to Secretariat. The history of The Meadow dates back to 1805, when Dr. Charles D. Morris purchased 4,000 acres (16 km2) of land which served as his family's home for the next 100 years. The farm was sold out of the family in the early 1900s until Christopher Chenery, a Morris descendant, bought it back in 1936. His daughter, Penny Chenery, continued his work, achieving success with Riva Ridge and Secretariat. In 1972, Riva Ridge won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes and placed fourth in the Preakness. In 1973, Secretariat became the first horse in twenty-five years to win the Triple Crown and the only champion to break all three track records, which still stand fifty years later. The Meadow was sold by the Chenery family in 1979, and most of the property was divided into smaller parcels. The rest of the farm changed owners several times. The venue has been owned by the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation since March 14, 2013. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as The Meadow Historic District in 2015. The Meadow's history includes the African American grooms that are mentioned in the National Park Service application. Meadow Farms and Secretariat are also recognized by an official roadside historic marker from the State of Virginia.