The Sandy Creek supervisor has been helping the Oswego County Fair since he was 14. Now he is the fair’s president
By Stefan Yablonski
It is fair to say Tim Ridgeway is very proud of the Oswego County Fair. He has been a part of it for more than 45 years.
It is just one of the ways he is giving back to his community.
“I was born in Watertown, but I grew up here — on a dairy farm. I graduated in 1983 from Sandy Creek High School. I’ve been here for 59 and a half years,” he said.
He joined the volunteer fire department in 1985.
He has been a firefighter, lieutenant and captain, but never a chief, he said.
“This is my 40th year. In February it will be 41. Back in the day I had a couple times where I was the first one on the scene. There have been a couple pretty rough times. A couple bad accidents,” he said.
He joined the Oswego County Agricultural Society when he was 14. The society sponsors the Oswego County Fair.
“I joined the fair when I was 14 and about nine or 10 years ago, I got on the fair board as a board member,” he added. “I worked my way up to junior vice and senior vice. And this is my second year as president. It’s an elected position. I have to run every year for it. It’s just a one-year term. The board members are the ones who vote for you.
“Terry Wilbur is big in the county [Oswego County clerk]. He was a huge advocate along with [girlfriend] Teresa [Stowell Hollis] in pushing me, both of them, to become fair president. She is the junior vice president.
“We get a lot of help from the county. We work well with tourism. We work well with the county highway department and [Assemblyman] Will Barclay. We have some good connections, some good people.”
His family’s tradition was tractor pulling.
“My mom and dad did it. I did it. Now my son does tractor pulls at the county fair and other fairs,” he said.
Politically involved
“My mother and my father were on the town board. My mother was the town supervisor for 10 years. I ran four years ago for it. She didn’t want it any more — I didn’t run against her,” he quipped.
As supervisor, he said he would like to take care of the roads, the bridges “and clean up the village so we don’t have all this crime.”
He is also involved with the Republican committee for Sandy Creek.
“My passion is the fair and the community. I do a lot for the community. We do breakfast with Santa in the fire department, the farmers’ market in Lacona and more,” he said. “I’m big in the community. Teresa is as well. She is as much a part of it as I am.
“I do have my own business. I don’t really want to dwell on that. I have a lawn care business and a snow plowing and a power sport business. I am self employed and an entrepreneur, I guess. I worked at Pulaski Ford in the garage for 17 years. I did parts my whole life. Plus growing up on a dairy farm so I have the work ethics.”
Fair making a comeback
“The fair is coming back. We went through a rough time a few years ago with COVID. We didn’t have a fair for two years,” he said. “And actually by not having the fair for two years really gave us a little bit of a shot in the arm because it costs about $62,000 or $63,000 a year to put the fair on. So we had two years where we saved that money. It was a big shot in the arm and that helped us.”
They went to a small three-day fair and then a four-day. This is the first five-day fair this year. They also brought the parade back this year, he noted.
“We are struggling to make this work. The problem is our numbers are not good because, you know, it’s a small fair. We can’t just pick and choose. We don’t have that kind of volume. So it is kind of tough to get a ride company. But Ontario Amusements is with us again this year. We are hoping that they have a great year and we can sign them for at least another two years.”
“The fair is doing better. We have so many tremendous people helping us. Last year we had a mural painted on a building. This year we are having another mural painted. We got a grant from the Shineman Foundation. We are going to try to put new water in the fairground. We need new wiring also.”
This year is also the town of Sandy Creek’s 200th birthday.
“We are going to do something at the fair to celebrate. It’s huge. Our 200th birthday was in May; so we are going to celebrate at the fair,” he said.
Not slowing down
Ridgeway said he will be 60 in August.
“Teresa is having a big party for me,” he said. “But I have no desire in slowing down. Now if I don’t get president again that might change,” he quipped. “But I wouldn’t mind retiring out of the fire department. But I don’t know any different — I work every day. I haven’t set an alarm since I was 15 years old. I get up every day at 4 o’clock; don’t even own an alarm clock. I plow 35 driveways in the winter. Start at 3 in the morning and usually get done at 8 in the morning.”
When he’s not working on the fair or town business, Ridgeway said he has a powersports vehicle.
“We enjoy riding our side-by-sides, riding in the convertible; I have a convertible, she has a convertible — and snowmobiles in the winter,” he said. “I also do some deer hunting.”
“Every waking moment I am at the fairground. I just take pride in it,” he added. “Dreams are only made if you make them — that’s my motto.”
