Cooperative Living September 2018 - 3

InsideStory
September 2018
This issue's cover story
about Meadow Event
Park, the State Fair and
Secretariat brings back
many fond memories.
I recall Secretariat's
1973 romp through the
Triple Crown races and
can still see in my mind's
eye the telephototelevision
image of his awesome, expanding
lead at the Belmont Stakes' finish line.
At the time I was a student at
Randolph-Macon College, just a few miles
down the road from what was then called
Meadow Farm, a horse-breeding operation
that belonged to the Chenery family.
Kings Dominion is just west of the
farm. When it opened in the mid-1970s,
Lion Country Safari was part of Kings
Dominion, and I remember rumors that
the sound of the lions roaring at night
kept the horses jittery at the nearby
Meadow Farm.
The Meadow Farm site is now home to
the State Fair, another source of many
youthful memories. Back then, the fair
was held on grounds along Laburnum
Avenue in Henrico County, which today
is home to Richmond Raceway.
Not too long ago, the State Fair was
on the brink of going away for good
because of financial difficulties. Virginia
Farm Bureau came to the rescue and
today the State Fair, at its Meadow Event
Park home, is reinvigorated, improving
each year and creating new generations
of State Fair devotees.
Meadow Event Park has also expanded
its year-round activities and hosts a
variety of gatherings and events,
including the annual Gaff-n-Go
Lineman's Rodeo. The Gaff-n-Go features
electrical-lineworkers from cooperatives
and other utilities across Virginia, the
region and the nation competing in a
variety of events designed to improve the
safety and efficiency of their work.
The State Fairgrounds and its various
attractions are about as nice a slice of
rural Virginia on display as you'll find
these days. It's clean, wholesome fun
with a taste of history as Secretariat's
birthplace. Enjoy the story, and enjoy the
upcoming State Fair! 
- Bill Sherrod, Editor
co-opliving.com
September 2018 | Cooperative Living | 1
ELI CHRISTMAN PHOTO
OUR MISSION
To inform you about your cooperative and its efforts to serve your energy needs;
how to use electricity safely and efficiently; and the people who define and enhance
the quality of life in communities served by electric co-ops.
CONTENTS
14 Cover Story
North of Richmond among the bucolic, rolling vistas of rural Caroline County is Meadow
Event Park, home to the Virginia State Fair and birthplace of Secretariat, considered by
many the greatest Thoroughbred racehorse of the 20th century. On the cover: Agriculture
and fun are two of the abiding themes of the Virginia State Fair, slated this year for Sept. 28
through Oct. 7 at Meadow Event Park. (Kathy Dixon photo)
28 Crossroads
The Loudon County community of Lucketts, a key
strategic location during America's War Between the
States, today radiates into the countryside where farms,
wineries, breweries and fun attract city dwellers weary of
concrete, traffic and deadlines.
34 Essay-Contest Winner
" Off the Beaten Path, " by Kali Bowers of Fort Valley, is
winner of this year's Cooperative Living Collegiate
Undergraduate Writing Award for best Virginia-specific
essay, part of the Virginia Outdoor Writers Association's
annual writing contest.
DEPARTMENTS
2 Viewpoint
4 Mailbag
4 WhatzIt?
5 History Mystery
8 Say Cheese
12 Happenings
Visit us online at:
co-opliving.com
18 Your Co-op News
26 Energy Sense
32 Dining with Dan
36 Commonwealth Kitchen
38 Classifieds
40 Rural Living
Find us on:
Please recycle this magazine.
AAM audited
Check out
the Fall Fairs &
Festivals Guide
starting on
page 9!
PRISCILLA KNIGHT PHOTO

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Cooperative Living September 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living September 2018