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directing a portion of their proceeds to charity.
Looking out across its beautiful turf fields where today children play weekend soccer, and ponies and horses gallop, it is difficult to imagine the place as the old swampy crayfish bog from which it has been raised.
The vision of news executive Arthur W. Arundel, the 500 acre abandoned farm near The Plains was rescued with, support of the community in 1983 from the same commercial development fate then claiming the long time Broadview Farm home of the Virginia Gold Cup in Warrenton.
As bulldozers prepared to descend upon Broadview, a small band of steeplechasing enthusiasts and community people mobilized to protect the Great Meadow site in perpetual open space. With an initial $2 million donated by Mr. Arundel, the site was saved from scheduled subdivision for 400 houses. The ecologically rich patch of Piedmont meadow has since been dedicated for charitable use under protection of the new Meadow Outdoors Foundation as Trustee. Great Meadow today is preserved and managed in perpetuity for non-profit year round use of the community.
As a result of this ten year commitment to the environment and development of wildlife habitat and preservation of open space, Great Meadow is giving back to the community a classically beautiful natural resource for learning and an appreciation of nature. But the initial vision for Great Meadow has not been forgotten. Since 1985 Great Meadow has been home to two of Fauquier County’s most precious and visually exciting traditions, the classic Virginia Gold Cup each May and its sister race. The international Gold Cup each October. Proceeds from these two events provide most of the Foundation’s annual budget.
With support of contributions through events and other supporters, the Foundation has managed great Meadow for a decade without debt or tax cost to Fauquier County.
Great Meadow looks forward to a future committed with its events to growing not bigger, but better, as an open space field events center of which generations to come in Fauquier County may be proud. As someone remarked on the 10th anniversary “that old meadow has earned the adjective, it is great for our community.”
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