Publisher’s Note August / September 2021

We’re hitting the peak of the summer season — and things are looking up. 

The number of COVID-19 cases is drastically down compared to a few months ago, people in general have a bit more money to spend thanks to the federal stimulus checks, and the weather has been pretty decent.

That’s all good news to hundreds of businesses in Central New York that depend on tourism.

Campgrounds, fishing charter captains, hotels, motels, restaurants — they all depend on people getting out of the house and spending money.

I have driven around, eaten at local restaurants and attended some public events and I can attest that people are out and about — and eager to do things, especially if it’s close to home. I know I am.

Soon, we will see the start of the New York State Fair — in 2019, the last time it was held, it attracted 1.3 million people to the fairgrounds. It’s going to be tough to match that number but the fact that the fair is happening at all — after being canceled last year — is great news to the entire region. 

More great news: The Oswego Speedway has resumed its races and all is in place for a great auto racing season. One of the highlights is the Super Dirt Week, a 10-day event that attracts thousands of people in early October. According to the owners, the event is the biggest revenue generator in the city of Oswego.

“It would be hard to find someplace that didn’t benefit; the hotels, restaurants everyone,” Eric Torrese, one of the owners, said in an interview with this magazine. “The fans are going into town, eating, possibly going to the movies, buying stuff at the stores. Everybody that does business in the city feels the impact of Super Dirt Week,” 

Central New York and Oswego County need the tourism industry and this is prime time for the industry.

Tourism was one of the sectors most affected by the pandemic. We went through a period of nearly 18 months that there were no activities — people were isolated, restricted to what they could do.

Now it’s the time to get out and have some fun.

To help readers find things to do in the region, we have published a new CNY Fall Guide, which is widely distributed in the area (It’s also online at www.cnyfall.com). The guide brings a listing of events that run until mid-October. 

There are great events taking place in the region, in addition to the NYS Fair and the auto races. They include all sorts of festivals (featuring music, wine, arts and crafts) exhibitions, shows and much more. 

Hope to see you out and about!


Wagner Dotto is the owner and editor-in-chief of Local News, Inc., the publisher of Oswego County Business Magazine for 30 years.Wagner Dotto is the owner and editor-in-chief of Local News, Inc., the publisher of Oswego County Business Magazine for 30 years.