This painted chalk horse is from the Botetourt County Fair when it was held at the former fairgrounds adjacent to Hawthorne Hall Road and Old Fincastle Rd from 1879-1949. As a child, Angela Coon won it there playing “Go Fish” in the late 1940s. It wasn’t a card game, but a bucket up high with numbered plastic fish that could be scooped up with a long ladle. The number on the fish determined the prize– Angela won this horse won this horse.
It is part of the Botetourt Museum of History & Culture exhibit called “Home Grown– Botetourt’s Agricultural History.” According to Botetourt County Director of Economic Development Kyle Rosner, “Agriculture has been our dominant land use since 1770, thriving today with over 500 farms generating $23 million in annual product value.”
Volunteers resurrected Botetourt’s County Fair in 2013. This year, it will be held Friday, July 31 (5:30-8:30), and Saturday, August 1 (9 a.m.-4 p.m.), at the Buchanan Town Park with free admission.
