State Fair: a place for memories, one last time

When the State Fair of Virginia exits the home it has known for the past 62 years, it will leave in its wake a lot of memories.

The fair opens Thursday and runs through Oct. 5 on the grounds of the Richmond Raceway Complex on Laburnum Avenue. The animals, shows, exhibits and midway will remain as generations of visitors remember.

The State Fair now has a competition for memorabilia collected. Categories include competition guide, ribbon collection, oldest ribbon, photos, hat, posters and other souvenirs. Fair visitors can find the winners in the Home Arts building.

Keeping with the theme of nostalgia, this year’s television and radio spots focus on the fair as a place to create memories.

As exhibitors scoured attics and antique stores to find memorabilia, the fair’s marketing director, Jay Lugar, didn’t have to look far. When he moved into his office, he found many mementos of past fairs, he said.

“We called the Library of Virginia and gave them our collection,“ he said. The library is archiving and cataloging the items.

Some will be used in an upcoming exhibit, “Virginia is for Tourists,“ said Jan Hathcock, the library’s public-relations coordinator.

Next year, the fair will move to its new location at The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County. The 350-acre site is a bustling construction site at the moment, but next September it will offer fairgoers a chance to make new memories.

Lisa Crutchfield is a staff writer at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.