by Wagner Dotto
Things did not look especially promising in early spring, when we began reaching out to local businesses to invite them to advertise in the 2026 Summer Guide.
The weather was miserable—one of the worst springs I can remember, marked by cold temperatures and what felt like endless gray days. At the same time, the war in Iran was escalating, gas prices were rising quickly, and people generally seemed uneasy.
In short, it was hardly an ideal moment to ask businesses to invest in summer advertising. There was simply too much uncertainty in the air.
As it turned out, the 2026 Summer Guide we just published is one of the finest we have produced in more than three decades. We are extremely proud of this year’s edition. It looks excellent, reads beautifully, and I believe we are doing a good job making sure readers can easily access it.
Although we had slightly fewer ads than last year, many of them were noticeably larger. At 116 pages, this year’s guide is a record-setter for us.
So how did we make it happen?
First, I have to credit our sales staff for the tremendous effort they put into this project. We poured our hearts into it and spent roughly six relentless weeks pursuing every lead we could. Second, we are fortunate to have built a strong reputation for producing high-quality magazines and guides. Every year, we work hard to create publications that are informative, engaging and genuinely useful to readers. We develop original stories, aim for the strongest possible cover, and strive for the best layout and photography. I believe that commitment to quality played a major role in this project’s success.
A special thanks goes to our nearly 200 advertisers, many of them repeat advertisers. They provide the funds necessary to produce and distribute the publication. Without their support, we wouldn’t be able to publish.
In exchange, they get unparalleled exposure all season long. We estimate the glossy publication reaches over 250,000 readers in the region — visitors and residents alike. Our website — www.cnysummer.com — gets about 10,000-15,000 hits a month.
The publication is free of charge and it is available through all Wegmans, many Tops Friendly Markets, Price Chopper and other local grocery stores. In addition, we place the guide at local hotels, motels, campgrounds, RV sites, restaurants, diners and many other high-traffic locations.
This issue features more stories, more outstanding photography and a great layout. I’m particularly proud of our calendar of events. It focuses not only on the immediate area, but also includes events taking place across Upstate New York. It is what we call, “The Best of Upstate New York.”
Our hope is that many of those readers will patronize those who advertise.
Wagner Dotto is the editor and publisher of Oswego County Business Magazine.
