2009 VA State Fair Ferris Wheel
As many of you already know, I am a huge fan of any type of Fair. It doesn’t really matter what type of Fair it is, small town Fair, County Fair, State Fair; I like them all. I’m not quite sure what it is, maybe it’s the people-watching, maybe it’s the food, maybe it’s the pig races. Regardless, if there is a Fair nearby, my husband and I make sure to attend.
2009 is a new beginning for the Virginia State Fair. For years the Fair has been located at the Richmond Speedway. This year it has moved to its new home in Caroline County, near King’s Dominion. The grounds are actually quite nice. You can definitely tell it’s the Fair’s first year here though.
We love the new location! Meadow Event Park is only about 20 minutes north from the previous location. Moving the venue definitely made it easier for Northern Virginia residents to access it. There is ample parking and they seem to have quite a few trolleys taking people from the parking lot to the Fair grounds. They built an underpass so Fair attendees don’t have to deal with the road leading into the Fair once they have parked.
Paying for our tickets and actually being admitted was an ordeal. If you go after 5pm there is a reduced rate, which is great. But, if you’ve been waiting at the gate for 10 minutes and it’s 5 o’clock and they’re still not selling tickets or letting anyone in, that’s annoying. The staff person taking our tickets was rude. Very rude. She could have been having a bad day, but it wasn’t the greatest first impression. I also had my camera bag ripped away from me when I entered, so they could search it. I have no problem with them searching my bag. I do not like it being ripped away with no warning from a guy with no clear identification that he worked for the Fair. The other Fair workers were very friendly and helpful. Most seemed to enjoy their jobs and were delighted to interact with us.
The food was fantastic, well, almost all of the food. The first thing we did was head straight for the turkey legs. Moist and juicy and absolutely delectable! Next up was sausage hoagies, corn dogs, and onion rings. The corn dog was delicious and my husband seemed to enjoy the sausage hoagie, but the onion rings were on the bland, dry side. My husband also enjoyed a funnel cake. I’m not a funnel cake fan, so I passed on that one. On our way out we grabbed some kettle corn and have been enjoying it the last 2 days.
The layout of the Fair is pretty good. They have a food section, but also have food booths throughout. The Midway is separated which could make it more pleasant for Fair-goers not interested in going near the rides. The animals are on the far end of the Fair. The craft section is in the middle. They have a Heritage section on the end opposite the animals, which was closed by the time we got there.
I will definitely be going back to the Virginia State Fair. It is still going through some growing pains, but that should iron out in the next few years. It will be a fantastic Fair once the permanent structures are in place and people get used to the new location. I highly recommend going to the Lumberjack Show and the Pig Races! I mean, how can you go to the Fair and NOT attend the Pig Races!?!
If you have attended the Fair this year, I would love for you to leave comments about your experience!
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