Virginia State Fair
Encyclopedia
The State Fair of Virginia is held annually at the end of September, currently at the Meadow Event Park
in Caroline County
, Virginia
. Through 2008, the fair was held at the Richmond Raceway Complex
, located in eastern Henrico County, just outside of the capital city of Richmond
.
, chicken and peanuts. The Fair also offers technological, agricultural, historical, and livestock exhibitions and competitions, including pig races. Several of the competitions offer scholarships to students that compete.
The expositions include: Virginia World which highlights Virginia agricultural products, the better living center which hosts the arts & craft competition displays, the technology expo which highlights Virginia technology industry, and Young McDonald's Farm which displays a variety of young animals for the urban visitor to see. Additionally, one section of the Fair includes a "Heritage Village" which displays Native American, African American, and Euro-American history in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
horse farm owned by Christopher Chenery
that was the breeding home of back-to-back racing
greats Riva Ridge
and Secretariat
, the winners of five of the six Triple Crown races in 1972 and 1973.
Meadow Event Park
Meadow Event Park is a large park and nature preserve in Doswell, Virginia with several fields and facilities. It has been the home of the State Fair of Virginia since 2009, previously held at Richmond International Raceway. The 2009 state fair was the park's inaugural event. Since then it has also...
in Caroline County
Caroline County, Virginia
Caroline County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 28,545. Its county seat is Bowling Green. Caroline County is also home to The Meadow stables, the birthplace of the renowned racehorse Secretariat, winner of the 1973 Kentucky Derby, Preakness and...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Through 2008, the fair was held at the Richmond Raceway Complex
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
, located in eastern Henrico County, just outside of the capital city of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
.
Structure
The Fair offers rides, carnival games, concerts, and typical Fair foods such as corn dogs, cotton candy, and funnel cakes as well as Virginia favorites such as barbecueBarbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
, chicken and peanuts. The Fair also offers technological, agricultural, historical, and livestock exhibitions and competitions, including pig races. Several of the competitions offer scholarships to students that compete.
The expositions include: Virginia World which highlights Virginia agricultural products, the better living center which hosts the arts & craft competition displays, the technology expo which highlights Virginia technology industry, and Young McDonald's Farm which displays a variety of young animals for the urban visitor to see. Additionally, one section of the Fair includes a "Heritage Village" which displays Native American, African American, and Euro-American history in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
History
The Fair moved to its new location in 2009 at the Meadow Event Park in Caroline County. This multi-use space of 360 acres (1.5 km²) includes a 75000 square feet (6,967.7 m²) exposition hall, a 10000 square feet (929 m²) multi-purpose pavilion, a horse-stall barn with 143 stalls, and an equine facility with four show rings, to accommodate local and regional horse shows and other equine events. The Meadow Event Park is on the site of Meadow Farm, the thoroughbredThoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse farm owned by Christopher Chenery
Christopher Chenery
Christopher Tompkins Chenery was an American engineer, businessman, and owner/breeder of Thoroughbred horse racing's U.S. Triple Crown champion Secretariat....
that was the breeding home of back-to-back racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
greats Riva Ridge
Riva Ridge
Riva Ridge was a thoroughbred racehorse, the winner of the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. A son of First Landing out of Iberia , he was owned and bred by the Meadow Stable of Christopher Chenery. The horse's name came from Chenery's son-in-law, John Tweedy, who was a soldier in World War...
and Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
, the winners of five of the six Triple Crown races in 1972 and 1973.