Secratariat's Meadow Tours

For Immediate Release

SFVA to Offer “Secretariat’s Meadow Tours” for Groups and General Public
Proceeds will benefit future Museum of the Virginia Horse

  Doswell, VA (February 1, 2011) - Fans of Secretariat soon will be able to enjoy guided tours of the very grounds where the immortal 1973 Triple Crown winner was born. This spring, SFVA, will begin offering tours of “Big Red’s” famed birthplace, The Meadow Event Park, in Doswell, Virginia, just north of Richmond.  

  There will be two types of tours:  customized tours for groups which may be booked from March to December; and a limited schedule of tours for the general public.  The customized tours are available for groups renting The Meadow Event Park facilities for meetings, trade shows, horse shows and other functions, as well as for groups such as historical societies, civic and alumni organizations, book clubs and the like. The basic cost is $10 per person, $5 for children 12 and under, with a 40 guest minimum; other special features can be added to the tour. The basic tour takes about an hour. 

  General public tours are slated for March 27, May 7 and July 23.  The public tour cost is  $10 per person, $5 for children under 12, with a 40 guest minimum. Advance registration is required. More public tour dates may be added to the schedule as demand warrants.  

 Secretariat’s Meadow Tours will be narrated by Leeanne Meadows Ladin, award-winning co-author of the best-selling pictorial history, Secretariat’s Meadow – The Land, The Family, The Legend.  She wrote the book with Kate Chenery Tweedy, the daughter of Penny Chenery (Tweedy), owner of Secretariat. Ladin will share behind-the-scenes stories about the circa 1805 farm, its famous stallions and broodmares, and the people who lived and worked there during its heyday. Highlights of the tour will include seeing the foaling shed where Secretariat was born on March 30, 1970; the yearling and training barns with the stalls where Secretariat and  Riva Ridge (Meadow Stable’s first Kentucky Derby winner) stayed as young colts; and much more.

 Secretariat’s Meadow Tours involve a tram ride, some walking and an indoor presentation featuring video clips of Secretariat’s 1973 Triple Crown races.  Tour guests have the opportunity to purchase a signed copy of Secretariat’s Meadow.  Proceeds from the tours will benefit the future Museum of the Virginia Horse to be built at The Meadow.

 For additional information on the customized group tours and the public tours, please see www.meadoweventpark.com. The Meadow Event Park is located off I-95, exit 98 to Doswell, 1.5 miles east of King’s Dominion.  

To book a group tour, please contact Leeanne Ladin at 804-363-1683 or email: laladin@verizon.net.  For more information about the book and authors, please see www.secretariatsmeadow.com.

To register for the public tours on March 27, May 7 or July 23, please contact Sue Mullins, 804 994-2744, smullins@statefairva.org.

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SFVA (State Fair of Virginia, Inc) is located at its permanent home and year-round rental facility,
The Meadow Event Park – Birthplace of Secretariat.

  SFVA is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization not affiliated with state government.  In a world where Virginia’s open land and traditions that shaped our culture are rapidly vanishing, SFVA’s goal is to keep cherished ideals and experiences alive in the Commonwealth.