With the official start of summer, Central New York offers an exciting variety of family-friendly events for residents and visitors to enjoy. These activities provide the perfect opportunity to appreciate the warm weather while spending quality time together. From farmers’ markets, cheese festivals, musical performances and Harborfest; there is something for everyone.

Kicking off the summer, the Oswego Farmer’s Market launched on June 13 and will run daily from 4 to 7:45 p.m. until Oct. 10. Once again, the market will be hosted by our great friends at the Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce. The market is located in the heart of Oswego on West 1^st Street and offers fresh produce, baked goods and arts and crafts. Live entertainment will be scattered throughout to keep the mood light and fun. Further, there is an additional market in Fulton on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until noon. This market opened on June 8 and will close on Oct. 12. This farmers’ market is located in the Canalview Parking Lot, State Route 481.

The Regional Market in Syracuse will take place on Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. until November and offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy fresh food from a variety of vendors. Additionally, the markets are held year-round on Saturdays. The regional market brings us more than 300 vendors from different counties, providing a diverse experience of fresh and local goods for everyone.

July offers even more opportunities to fill the summer’s social calendars. The annual Oswego County Fair will be up and running from July 3 to July 7. This year’s fair will feature a demolition derby, monster trucks, tractor pulls and many exciting activities for the whole family to enjoy. The fair will also be filled with delicious food and a variety of entertainment.
 
The 35^th annual Oswego County Harborfest is scheduled for July 25 to July 28. Harborfest has become a timeless tradition for the region, providing high-quality entertainment and experiences for all ages. Harborfest will be in Breitbeck Park this year and will have entertainment and many activities. Musical acts will include the Zac Brown Tribute Band, The Arcade, The Billionaires, and Mark Farner’s American Band. The weekend will also include several children’s attractions such as Peppa Pig, a Catskill Puppet show, Farmer Tom and Jeff the Magic Man. The event will also have a fireworks show on Saturday, July 27 at 9:30 p.m.

The Save Our Fourth Association (SOFA) in Cayuga County will be hosting a Fourth of July celebration in Fair Haven that will run from Thursday, July 4 until Sunday, July 7 and will include a craft fair, carnival rides and live music. The famous mile-long parade will take place on July 4 on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. and will wrap up with SOFA’s Spectacular Fireworks on Saturday night, July 6, at 10 p.m. We hope to see you there!

Finally, the Adams Revitalization Committee will be hosting the 2024 Cheddar Cheese Festival on Saturday, Aug. 3 in Jefferson County. The festival will include games, free ice cream, a petting zoo, pony rides, magicians, balloon making, adventures in climbing and more. If you are interested in attending, more information can be found on their website. 

I hope you take the opportunity this summer to enjoy these wonderful events throughout Central New York. All of these events are unique in their own ways and create an endless array of possibilities for everyone. Our region truly has some of the best experiences, and I highly encourage everyone to make the most out of these amazing events this summer!