The Fair moved to its new location in 2009 at the Meadow Event Park in Caroline County. This multi-use space of includes a exposition hall, a 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
thoroughbred 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. No fair was held in 1861–64, 1917–18, 1942–45 & 2020.
Farm Bureau Purchase In March 2012, the fair's parent company filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy, putting the fair on hold for the first time in its history. Reasons for the non-profit's bankruptcy included the high costs for converting Meadow Farm into Meadow Event Park. All events that the company ran were cancelled, except for the horse race at
Colonial Downs. On May 22, 2012, Universal Fairs, based in suburban Memphis, purchased the assets of State Fair of Virginia in bankruptcy court. In July 2012, the Virginia
Farm Bureau Federation purchased an ownership interest and partnered with Universal Fairs, who plan to continue the fair. The Farm Bureau bought the remaining shares in 2013. == References ==