Meadow Event Park facts for kids
Event Park
Event Park
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The Meadow Event Park is a special place in Caroline County, Virginia, USA. It's famous for being the home of the yearly State Fair of Virginia. This fair has a long history, going all the way back to 1854!
Every year, in late September and early October, over 230,000 people visit the fair. They come for 10 days of fun, learning about farming, and enjoying entertainment. The park is also very close to the theme park, Kings Dominion, which opened in 1975.
During the rest of the year, The Meadow Event Park is a busy place. It hosts many different events like festivals, concerts, and sports. You can also find trade shows, weddings, and horse shows here. What makes The Meadow even more special is that it's the birthplace of a super-famous racehorse named Secretariat. He was a Thoroughbred racing legend who won the Triple Crown in 1973!
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What is The Meadow Event Park?
The Meadow Event Park covers about 331 acres (1.34 square kilometers). It's a cool mix of new, modern buildings and old, historic farm structures. These old buildings remind everyone of its past as a famous horse farm.
Inside the park, you'll see white fences around green fields. There's a big exhibition hall and the Meadow Pavilion for events. The beautiful Meadow Hall mansion is also part of the park. For horse and livestock events, there's a special equine complex.
Secretariat's Home and Legacy
The park's history with horses is clear everywhere you look. The original barns where Secretariat, Riva Ridge, and other famous horses lived are still there. You can even take tours to see them! The foaling shed, where the legendary Secretariat was born on March 30, 1970, is also preserved.
Meadow Hall has special galleries that show off the Meadow Champions. There's also the Triple Crown Room and the Museum of the Virginia Horse. Every spring, fans from all over the country come to The Meadow to celebrate Secretariat's birthday. In the fall, the State Fair also has a special "Salute to Secretariat."
The Meadow's Rich History
The story of The Meadow began in 1805. That's when Dr. Charles D. Morris bought 4,000 acres (16 square kilometers) and made it his family's home for a century. The farm was sold in the early 1900s.
However, in 1936, a Morris family member named Christopher Chenery bought it back. He turned it into one of the most well-known Thoroughbred horse farms of its time.
The Triple Crown Winners
Christopher Chenery's daughter, Penny Chenery, continued his amazing work. She had incredible success with two horses: Riva Ridge and Secretariat.
In 1972, Riva Ridge won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. The next year, in 1973, Secretariat made history. Wearing the same blue and white checkered silks, he became the first horse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown! Even more amazing, he broke all three track records, and those records still stand today.
A New Chapter for The Meadow
In 1979, The Meadow was sold out of the Chenery family for the last time. Most of the land was divided into smaller pieces. The remaining farm changed owners many times over the years.
Then, in 2003, the State Fair of Virginia bought The Meadow. They started building new facilities because they were moving from their old location in Henrico County. The fair was held at The Meadow for the very first time in 2009.
Today, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation owns the park. This group is Virginia's largest organization that supports farming. They also own and run the State Fair of Virginia. Because of its important history, The Meadow was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 as "The Meadow Historic District."
