By Wendy Post —
Anyone that organizes or participates in an outdoor event knows that things can change in a “New York Minute”, as my old friend, Ken Luby, used to say. That seems to be the case when forecast models for weather become less favorable, which was the case for the Tioga County Fair. With Debby coming up the coast, or as some refer to as Lil Debbie, the Tioga County Fair adjusted, adapted, and the fair kept rolling on.
By 8 a.m. on Thursday an early morning Horse Show was cancelled because of mud. This, with just the rain that arrived throughout the week; thoughts of Debby weren’t at play yet.
The Dirt Bike and ATV Rodeo on Thursday served as a gauge for other fairs, which were monitoring the condition of their own tracks. Messages arrived from the equine community, questioning the Dash4Cash scheduled for Thursday evening as well.
Mikey Swansbrough had Dustin Swansbrough, his son that passed away, along for the ride. Dustin would have been three years old this year. (Photo by Wendy Post)
But in true fashion, the hard-working organizers from the fair weren’t worried, and kept the fair moving as usual, in spite of the soggy weather that arrived, unannounced, at the onset of the fair.
At the time of this reporting, the Demo Derby Finals, planned for Friday evening, were still on! Many felt the muddy track and weather would make things more interesting for the event.
Eric Johnson, fair board president, stated on Thursday that everything was moving along quite nicely at the fair, and that all events are a go!
The Owego Pennysaver goes to print during the day on Friday, so any demo derby action-taking place on Friday will be recapped on our Facebook Page.
he demolition derby at the Tioga County Fair! (Photo by Wendy Post)
This year Sebby S. Truesdail and this writer partnered up to provide the most extensive online coverage of the fair as possible. With Sebby’s photography skills and this writer’s social media skills, we were able to share, with our followers, all of the action taking place at the fair.
The Tioga County Fair is the heartbeat, the pulse of the community. The fair offers an opportunity for people to share their pies with the community, their arts and crafts, their skills, their products and, most importantly, their livestock and agricultural products.
To add to the fun, a Midway and Rides, offered for years through Gillette Shows, Inc., offers an array of activities for fair goers’, both young and old. But the largest attraction, which remains so today, is the annual demolition derby.
Preparing for the demolition derby! (Photo by Wendy Post)
On Wednesday I visited the pit area at the track to meet some of the drivers, and to see how they have been doing, and what they’ve been working on! Many of the drivers were familiar faces, running the track, year after year. A demolition derby family.
Guy Raymond Jr., of Apalachin, N.Y., has been running the derby for 28 years. On Wednesday, Guy had a stock, modified and minivan, all ready to run in separate heats.
Guy walked away with a trophy from the Junk Run on Wednesday evening, as well as Zach Ulrich for Modified Compacts, and Derek Judson for Stock Compacts; Austin Judson came in second.
Mikey Swansbrough, from Owego, was hoping for a win; but ultimately, for him, it was all about the run. As I approached Mikey in the pit area for a photo I noticed a framed photo of a young boy strapped into a car seat, and on the passenger’s side of the vehicle.
Agricultural activities and shows highlighted things throughout the week at the Tioga County Fair. (Photo by Sebby S. Truesdail)
I asked Mikey about the photo and he replied with a heartfelt story about his son, Dustin Swansbrough, who would have been three this year. Dustin passed following months of treatment for heart complications. Mikey wanted Dustin to run with him this year.
“He’s here with me,” said Mikey, proudly, as he prepared to enter the track.
A similar story came from Guy Raymond, Jr., who spoke about the Friday Night Finals, and a tribute to Joanna F. VanOstrand, the four-year old Barton resident that died in a pedestrian and motor vehicle accident in March.
According to Guy, the car will be presented as “JoAnna’s Car”, a name that Guy’s wife Mindi suggested.
“We want to remember a beautiful little girl that was taken too soon,” said Guy.
Long-time derby runner Brett Relyea, and Melanie Schnurbusch, are also remembered during this year’s demo derby.
Brett owned and operated Relyea’s Towing Service and Rapid Recovery, and was a well-known demo derby driver, promoting locally and regionally, for local fairs and events and even the Broome County Fair. Brett also participated in numerous events all up and down the East Coast.
Rob Browne, demo derby organizer, talked of Brett early on, and stated, “Brett had a lot of competitive spirit,” and further commented that, like many, he especially wanted to win the Tioga County Fair demo derby since it was home base.
Friday Night’s action was scheduled to include a Brett and Mel Memorial Run, with the winner taking home a large cash award and an even larger trophy. The run was open for V8 Modifieds, Relyea’s preferred ride.
The tributes are a reflection of this tight-knit demolition derby community. Although rivals, it is also a bond that is shared among all that participate.
And as we head to print, with activities still underway, I wonder about the weather, reeling through model after model, path after path.
But the fair organizers and participants see it as a challenge, of sorts. A bit of mud might make for some interesting action.
The tractors were scheduled for Saturday; and if they ran, I’m sure they are very used to rainy weather.
You can find the Tioga County Fair online at www.tiogacofair.com, or you can follow them on Facebook. You can also visit The Owego Pennysaver on Facebook for video from the fair, reels, photos, and more!
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