Oswego County Fair Returns For 2022

by Mike Johnson | August 19, 2022 10:31 am

SANDY CREEK, NY – The 2022 edition of the time honored Oswego County Fair[1] kicked off on Wednesday, August 17, and lasts through Sunday, August 21.

Opening day saw beautiful blue skies overhead and comfortable, low humidity temperatures at the fairgrounds on Ellisburg Street in Sandy Creek, New York. Traditionally an exhibition of the fruits of local farmers’ labor as the harvest season approaches, county fairs have become so much more, offering a wide variety of family entertainment to supplement the traditional agricultural displays and competitions.

The 163rd edition of the fair drew large crowds of visitors from all over Oswego County and beyond, with patrons enjoying a wide variety of displays and entertainment, as well as the usual smorgasbord of festival foods.

Fireworks, horse barrel racing, a truck pull and two runnings of the ever popular demolition derby added crowd pleasing excitement to the Fair’s traditional livestock shows and displays of a wide variety of special interest items and services.

Oswego County Fair Board Member and Media and Sponsor Liaison Teresa Stowell Hollis was thrilled to take part in the return of the Fair after a two year absence.

“There is a strong heritage in this Fair,” Hollis said. “It’s just really nice, in a small community, to have something like this to bring the family to.”

Hollis said that she was “super excited” to see the fair come together and visitors begin to arrive, and that to see the event return after the Coronavirus lockdowns gave her a great sense of pride.

County Fairs would become a thing of the past if not for the endless hours of work put in by a host of volunteers. Marianne Shelmidine, a summer resident of Lorrainne, New York, started volunteering at fairs twenty years ago, and has not stopped showing up to lend a hand since. Shemidine calls fair directors and offers her help, and is never turned down, finding herself filling a wide variety of necessary roles.

“I have ridden trams, I have worked demo derbies…I have done just about everything, including cleaning up garbage,” Shelmidine said.

Each day of the Oswego County Fair is dedicated to a different group of citizens, each an important thread in the social fabric of the large, mostly rural county. Wednesday was Senior, Agriculture and Legislator Day, Thursday – First Responder Day, Friday – Veterans’ Day, Saturday – Children’s Day, and Sunday – Family Day.

A schedule of events can be found here[2].

With the exception of two years, this great tradition has been in place since 1859, and hopefully will continue to delight, educate and entertain the populace of Oswego County for decades to come.

The smiling faces of children spinning on carnival rides, the pride in winning the pie eating contest, or the sight of a perfectly groomed, prize winning Brown Swiss calf are all part of this ongoing celebration of country life, a celebration that will be greatly anticipated as the small army of volunteers begins preparations for 2023.

All photos below taken by Michael Johnson.

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Katie Edwards of Mexico, New York, spends some quality time with one of her best friends.

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Photo of a ride at the Oswego County Fair by Michael Johnson.

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Fulton resident Chloe Bonoffski puts much care into grooming her Holstein-friesian cow Devious.

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Elaina Edwards said that she loves showing cows and that she loves their eyes!

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Volunteers from Fort Oswego recreate a Civil War medical scene at the Oswego County Tourism display.. Included in the photo are Noah Camacho, Michael Kelso, Jess Miller, Danielle Funiciello, and Christina Goettel.

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Pulaski resident Riley Baxter said that riding at the fair is exciting. “It becomes a partnership between you and your horse.”

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The Mexico Trailriders organization displayed a 1976 snow groomer in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of the snowmobile industry in Oswego County. Pictured are James Krackehl and Amber Masuicca. “It’s awesome to see how many people enjoy the sport,” Masuicca said.

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Grace Runge takes her first camel ride.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego-county-fair-returns-for-2022/