Join us for a fun-filled day on August 26, 2023, as Sky Meadows State Park celebrates 40 years of memories. It wouldn’t be a party without you, so come join us in celebrating your state park. As the park’s anniversary gift to you, our visitors, parking and admission will be free for the day.

Your memories are a part of our history, so you are invited to celebrate the 40th anniversary of your state park.

40 years of your memories are a part of our history

Rich in history, Sky Meadows State Park has scenic views, woodlands and the rolling pastures of a historic farm that captures the colonial through modern life of the Crooked Run Valley. Since its inception as a Virginia State Park in 1983, it has been a special place that connects us to our agricultural history through recreation. It has also been a special place for many of you, as you have built memories that connect you to the park and have made you a part of its history over the last 40 years.

The “Paul Mellon Rock” in the park Historic Area commemorates the generous donation that provided us the privilege of recreating at Sky Meadows State Park for the past 40 years.

Celebrate everything the park has meant to you

A milestone like this one deserves a proper barnyard bash. For the Sky Meadows 40th Anniversary Celebration, the park is planning a special event for the occasion.

The beautiful scenery of Sky Meadows State Park creates the perfect backdrop for a celebratory gathering and a full day of activities and vendors.

The day’s activities will include live musical performances, food trucks, local wine and beer vendors, field games, a historic Mount Bleak Open House, Blacksmith Forge demonstrations, wagon rides, nature programs and more.

We have so much planned for the day! Find our schedule below and keep reading for full details. 

Event schedule:

Celebrate by learning

Special presentations and programs will be taking place throughout the day in the Carriage Barn in the park Historic Area. Educational opportunities about nature will abound thanks to special guests from Virginia Master Naturalists, The Virginia Bluebird Society, K2C Wildlife Encounters, Earthquest Inc. and more. There will be guided hikes and even a birthday cake for wishing the park a happy 40th.

The “Snakes of Virginia” program by K2C Wildlife Encounters is always a favorite park activity and just one example of the many educational opportunities being offered at the park’s anniversary celebration.

If history is more your thing, don’t miss your chance to tour historic Mount Bleak during a special anniversary open house-style tour. Docents will be on hand to interpret the history of the mid-nineteenth-century middle-class farm. There will also be a presentation from the Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County, where you can learn about the often-untold history of the enslaved people who lived here. Other history programs will include a talk on “Mount Bleak & the Mosby Rangers” and blacksmith demonstrations by members of the Blacksmiths’ Guild of the Potomac.

History programs such as guided tours of historic Mount Bleak have long been a Sky Meadows staple and are a great way to celebrate the park’s anniversary.

Other exhibitors throughout the day will showcase the important work they do in partnership with parks and other public lands. Many are environmental conservation organizations like the John Marshall Soil & Water Conservation District, The Clifton Institute and Blue Ridge PRISM. Additionally, there will be an interactive and educational “Lost and Found” demonstration using trained search and rescue dogs by DOGS-East Search & Rescue. All this and more will be available free of charge for this special event.

Don’t forget the cake. This is the cake from our 30th anniversary 10 years ago. Find out what the cake will be like for our 40th anniversary and grab a piece to celebrate.

Celebrate by recreating and reminiscing

Food and beverages from local vendors will be offered for sale, including beer from Old Bust Head and wine from local wineries. Sky Meadows 40th Anniversary commemorative cups will also be available for purchase so you can enjoy a celebratory drink and keep a souvenir of the occasion. As for music, the headlining band is The Wilson Springs Hotel, a high-powered country and bluegrass-inspired band based out of Richmond, Virginia. Other musical performances will include American roots duo Herb & Hanson and the acoustic styling of John Tole.

Continue making memories

Come out to help us celebrate Sky Meadows State Park and everything the park has meant to you. A celebration of the park is really a celebration of you and the memories you’ve built here over the years. It’s in that spirit that we will be compiling a photo collage of your park memories for display. Everyone is invited to bring their photos and stories to share, or you can share your favorite Sky Meadows memory by emailing skymeadows@dcr.virginia.gov with the subject line “40th Anniversary.” We might share your memory on social media or as part of the memory collage.

The scenic views here have been the beautiful background to many of your own special memories.

Don’t miss out on this chance to celebrate the park’s last 40 years and to look ahead to building more park memories in the years to come. Everyone who comes here knows what a special place this is and has their own stories to tell. It’s those stories that make the place what it is and that are worth celebrating.