Fair may be set for Diamond

There could be a Richmond Fair this summer after all.

A little more than two weeks after canceling plans for a 10-day fair at the Richmond International Raceway in Henrico County, a Tennessee company that stages fairs across the country says it is planning a summer fair this month at The Diamond in Richmond.

The dates are the same -- July 17-26.

Philip Downing, president of Fair Nation Inc., said yesterday that he has reached a verbal agreement with the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which owns and operates the Diamond, but that no contract has been signed.

"We are going to hit a home run," Downing said.

A spokeswoman for the Richmond Metropolitan Authority said yesterday that she couldn't comment because a contract for the fair was pending.

She did say that such a contract would be for an event in the parking lot behind the stadium, not on the playing surface or otherwise in the stadium. She said there is no flat fee for the space and that a charge would be contingent upon amenities a promoter wanted.

Fair Nation initially wanted to stage what it planned to call the Richmond State Fair at the raceway in Henrico. The State Fair of Virginia, which is moving to Caroline County after 62 years at the raceway site, sued over the name.

The two sides settled the lawsuit, but then Fair Nation canceled its plans, claiming Henrico demanded a security presence it deemed unreasonable.

Downing said yesterday that the Richmond Police Department has told the company how many officers would be needed for security at the event and how much that would cost. But Downing declined to discuss those numbers or to estimate how many people he would expect at the fair.

Police Capt. Michael Shamus said it was premature to discuss any security contingent for a fair.

The company operates fairs in Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi.

If the fair goes off as planned in Richmond, it will feature about 40 rides, a petting zoo with about 100 animals, various games and other carnival-style attractions, including a dog race in which monkeys dressed as cowboys ride as jockeys on the dogs, Downing said.

Downing said he plans to charge adults $8 to enter the fair and $6 for seniors and for children 12 and younger. Kids 3 or younger would get in free.

The last time the parking lot at The Diamond was used for a multiday communitywide entertainment extravaganza was 2002, when the UniverSoul Circus set up shop for four days.

Contact Zachary Reid at (804) 775-8179 or .

Staff writer Reed Williams contributed to this report.