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The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County, Virginia, is the pastoral setting for the annual State Fair of
Virginia, which dates to 1854. The fair, held in late September through early October, attracts over 230,000
attendees during its 10-day exposition of agriculture, education and entertainment. During the rest of the year,
The Meadow Event Park hosts a diverse array of festivals, concerts, sporting events, consumer and trade shows,
weddings and receptions, conferences, horse shows and other events. The Meadow also has the singular
distinction of being the birthplace of Thoroughbred racing legend Secretariat, 1973 Triple Crown champion. In
keeping with its equestrian theme, the 331-acre venue blends new, state-of-the-art event facilities with the
historic structures of the Thoroughbred farm. Inside the white-fenced fields are an exhibition hall; Meadow
Pavilion; Meadow Hall mansion; and an equine complex for horse and livestock events. The equine heritage of
The Meadow is evident throughout the property. The original barns that housed Secretariat, Riva Ridge and
earlier Meadow Stable champions have been preserved and are featured on narrated tours, along with 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 and made it his familys home for the next 100 years. The farm was sold out of the family in the
early 1900s, but in 1936 Christopher T. Chenery, a Morris descendant, bought it back and transformed it into
one of the most renowned Thoroughbred farms of its time. His daughter Penny Chenery continued his work,
achieving unprecedented success with Riva Ridge and Secretariat. In 1972, Riva Ridge won the Kentucky
Derby and Belmont Stakes. In 1973, Secretariat became the first horse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown and
the only champion to break all three track records, which still stand today. In 1979, The Meadow was sold out
of the family for the last time. Most of the property was divided into smaller parcels, and the remainder of the
farm changed hands often over the years. In 2003, the State Fair of Virginia purchased The Meadow and began
construction of new facilities as it prepared to move from its longtime location in Henrico County. The fair was
held at The Meadow for the first time in 2009. The venue currently is owned by the Virginia Farm Bureau
Federation, Virginia's largest agricultural advocacy organization, which also owns and operates the State Fair of
Virginia.
The Meadow Event Park homepage (http://www.meadoweventpark.com/)
State Fair of Virginia (http://www.statefairva.org/)
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Coordinates: 37511.4N 772515.7W
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