Facility Open for Year-Round Activities Starting This September

RICHMOND, VA – SMG and SFVA announce that Lesa Williams will serve as General Manager at The Meadow Event Park, SFVA’s new facility in Doswell, Virginia.      

        As General Manager, Williams will oversee the management, booking, staffing and operation of the facility.  Currently, she is assisting with start up operations and assembling a staff to implement those efforts. The SMG staff will serve as support to SFVA when events such as the State Fair of Virginia and the Meadow Highland Games & Celtic Festival are hosted.  In addition, Williams will assist in the start up and expansion at the Equestrian Complex within the Park.

        The Meadow Event Park is known as birthplace to legendary 1973 Triple Crown Winner Secretariat. Also, Riva Ridge, winner of the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, trained at The Meadow. SFVA is currently in the midst of an $81 million project that includes new construction and redevelopment of existing facilities at The Meadow Event Park. The Park is slated to open for the 2009 State Fair of Virginia from September 24 through October 4 and be available for bookings year-round after the Fair event.

        Born in Philadelphia, Williams graduated from LaSalle University with a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on management/finance. For fifteen years, she managed a private equestrian facility in West Chester, Pennsylvania with a focus on Three Day Eventing, while competing at the top levels of the sport.

        Williams joined SMG in 2003 assisting with the opening of the Jacksonville Equestrian Center, serving as facility director and overseeing an expansion that included three additional barns, an expanded RV park and additional competition arenas.  Currently the Jacksonville Equestrian Center is ranked among the top equestrian facilities in the Southeast.

            In addition, Williams holds the title of National Equestrian Director for SMG.  This position seeks to leverage the SMG brand among its network of equestrian facilities and assist in routing events thru other SMG equestrian facilities. 

About SFVA: Founded in 1906, SFVA is a not-for-profit organization, independent of state government. Each year, SFVA presents The State Fair of Virginia, the Strawberry Hill Races, and the Meadow Highland Games & Celtic Festival. The Meadow Event Park is located virtually equidistant between Fredericksburg and Richmond, just off of exit 98 (King’s Dominion) of Interstate 95.

For more information, visit http://www.statefairva.org