State Fair of Virginia ⁄ The Meadow Event Park

Doswell, Virginia

Although all fairs in the United States can trace their origins back to the “market days” of colonial times, the State Fair of Virginia enjoys an illustrious lineage like no other. In 1854, the first official State Fair, a gathering of farmers, merchants, and townsfolk, took place in Richmond at what is now Monroe Park. As it moved from there to Broad Street, then to the Boulevard, and then to Strawberry Hill, it would come to be called Virginia's “Greatest Annual Attraction.” In 2009 the Fair moved to its new location at the Meadow Event Park in Caroline County — the site of Meadow Farm, the birthplace of back‐to‐back racing greats Riva Ridge and Secretariat. This multi‐use space of 360 acres includes a 75,000 SF exposition hall, a 10,000 SF multi‐purpose pavilion, a horse‐stall barn with 143 stalls, and an equine facility with four show rings.

Early in the development of The Meadow Event Park, 1717 was selected to develop a master plan to identify and coordinate all of the site's architectural and wayfinding signage needs. As the construction phase of the park neared completion, 1717 designed vehicular and pedestrian wayfinding signage programs, monumental gateway site signs, interior ADA‐compliant signage for all of the building interiors, and self‐illuminated architectural signage for the primary building facades.