Tag Archives: Leeanne Ladin

The Secretariat Birthday Party Goes On!

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Some of you may have heard the sad news that The Meadow, which was owned by the State Fair of Virginia, has been closed to the public.  The Fair (a private, not for profit organization) was forced into Chapter 7 bankruptcy on March 8 when the bank did not accept its plan to reorganize. 

This was heart-breaking news for Virginians who grew up going to the Fair and especially for those of us who had enjoyed a long association with its staff.  That association had become even more enjoyable in recent years as we worked together on  the annual Secretariat birthday party, which the Fair hosted at The Meadow,  and the popular  “Secretariat’s Meadow Tours” for public and private groups. We even announced our “Secretariat’s Meadow” book there in 2010.  It was very sad to see our friends lose their jobs.

 Our book team  did not want these circumstances to force the cancellation of the annual Secretariat’s Birthday celebration, planned for Saturday March 31. So we took this on as a volunteer effort  and are happy to say that Randolph-Macon College in nearby Ashland will host the event on March 31 in Andrews Hall from 1 – 5 pm. There are longstanding ties with the college as Christopher Chenery, who founded The Meadow in 1936 as a Thoroughbred farm, attended school there, along with two of his brothers.  Last year, Randolph-Macon awarded Penny Chenery an Honorary Doctor of  Laws degree.

 Yes, the birthday  program is scaled back but we still have fans coming from Texas, Minnesota, Michigan, North Carolina and Delaware!  That speaks volumes about what this magnificent horse means to people across the country!

Here’s a brief outline of the program:

  •  1:00 pm. – Welcome and Presentation on the history of The Meadow,  Secretariat and Riva Ridge by Kate Chenery Tweedy and Leeanne Meadows Ladin, co-authors of “Secretariat’s Meadow, The Land, The Family, The Legend”
  • Meeting former Meadow grooms and jockeys and seeing Riva’s first training saddle
  • Discussion of possible historical designation options for important sites at The Meadow
  • Continuous showing of Secretariat’s and Riva’s most famous races
  • Book signings and sale of Secretariat items
  • Secretariat and Riva cake
  • 3:00 p.m.  – Repeat presentation by authors 
  • 5:00  p.m. – EVENT CONCLUDES

Tickets are $5 at the door and advance registration is required.  Because seating is limited, we ask that you indicate whether you will attend the 1:00 pm or 3:00 pm presentation. Go to our website www.secretariatsmeadow.com for more info and to register.

As for The Meadow, we will keep our readers posted on future developments here, on our website and our Facebook page. 

In any event, we sincerely hope that next year in 2013, we will be back at The Meadow to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown!

by Leeanne Meadows Ladin

co-author of “Secretariat’s Meadow”

copyright 2012

www.secretariatsmeadow.com

Guided Tour Program Starting at The Meadow, Birthplace of Secretariat

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Millions of moviegoers saw the screen version of The Meadow, Secretariat’s Virginia birthplace, in the Disney movie “Secretariat.” Soon fans of “Big Red”will be able to visit the very grounds where the immortal 1973 Triple Crown winner was born. This spring, The Meadow Event Park, owned by SFVA, will begin offering guided tours of “Big Red’s” famed birthplace in Doswell, Virginia, just north of Richmond.  

I am very excited about this because I will be the guide! As co-author of the book “Secretariat’s Meadow – The Land, The Family, The Legend,” with Kate Chenery Tweedy (Penny Chenery’s daughter) I have lived and breathed the history and the mystique of The Meadow for several years.  I 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; the stallion barns; the fabled Cove, where the broodmares and foals grazed (pictured in our blog headline);  a horse cemetery; and much more!

Secretariat’s Meadow Tours will involve a tram ride, some walking and an indoor presentation which features video clips of Secretariat’s 1973 Triple Crown races.  Tour guests will 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.

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 which may be 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, with a 40 guest minimum.  Other special features can be added to the tour for additional fees. For instance, a group could add a lunch or reception or perhaps a horseshoeing demonstration by a farrier. We can even arrange for a “photo op” with Rainaway, Secretariat’s great-grandson who lives on the property. The basic tour takes about an hour and advance registration is required.

 The 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. 

You can read more details about the customized group tours and the public tours at www.meadoweventpark.com. The Meadow Event Park is located off I-95, exit 98 to Doswell, 1.5 miles east of King’s Dominion, about 25 miles north of Richmond.  

You can learn more about the history of  The Meadow and its famous Thoroughbreds  at our website www.secretariatsmeadow.com (and order our book!)   

             

Leeanne Meadows Ladin

copyright 2011

 

                                                     

Secretariat’s Meadow and Santa…Dashing through the Stores

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The holiday rush began with a flurry of November book signings.  Lots of Secretariat fans are telling Kate and me that they are buying our book as presents for horse lovers and racing followers. We are happy and honored to hear that!

We kicked off the season by signing at the Holiday Shoppers Fair at the Virginia Historical Society.  This is a great event where all the Richmond area museum gift shops come together to offer their wares under one roof.  So we got some shopping done too!

Next we gave a talk to a wonderful audience at the Joseph-Beth Bookseller in Fredericksburg. Kate stayed in town to speak the following night at Mary Washington College.  We teamed up again at the Barnes & Noble in Charlottesville to do a Q&A session and signing with a large and enthusiastic crowd who was very knowledgeable about Big Red and The Meadow.  There are many Charlottesville ties to The Meadow.  Howard Gentry, the indispensable farm manager, came from Ellerslie farm  and we were thrilled that some of his relatives attended our event.

Then we sped down the road (almost as fast as Big Red) to Richmond for another Barnes & Noble signing that afternoon.  Kate flew back to Denver, only to turn around and fly back to Louisville, KY this past weekend for another event with our friends at the beautiful Kentucky Derby Museum.  I returned to The Meadow to sign at the Virginia Christmas Market show.

We have lots more book signings coming up in December, including two big  events in Ashland where Kate’s grandfather, Chris Chenery, the founder of Meadow Stable, grew up.  So check out our updated event section.  We hope to see you as we go dashing through the stores!

I had a little chat with Santa at the Virginia Christmas Market when he came over to get a book. He promised me that he would have plenty of copies of “Secretariat’s Meadow” in his knapsack for the holiday season!

Santa and Leeanne Ladin at the Virginia Christmas Market show