Summertime, funtime - mostly

Forgetting war, corruption & economic chaos, briefly

As I left the Finger Lakes last week, I missed the opportunity to attend the annual Hector Fair - now called the Hector Family A-Fair. Name change aside, the event remains a joyous occasion in the community, looked forward to by most folks. It made me think - and write about in my Finger Lakes Times column Friday - some other good stuff going on across the lakes and the Southern Tier.

The full column is printed at the end of this posting.

Several people commented that they liked hearing less gloom and doom this week in Write On. I’m happy for that. But … spoiler alert. Next week I expect to comment on a slippery corporate shuffle to convert the unpopular Greenidge Generation bitcoin operation in Dresden to an AI data center. Good grief. Just stop!

Among my musing Friday included one bit of politics. Two unpopular members of the NY Congressional delegation are running for reelection. Their unpopularity comes from a plethora of sources. But a big one is that Nick Langworthy and Claudia Tenney play hide and seek with their constituents. Actually, it’s just “hide." They have no interest in holding town hall meetings or desire to meet with citizens of their respective districts.

So where’s the good stuff there?

Simple. The opponents of Langworthy and Tenney, Aaron Gies and Alissa Ellman respectively, are not going to hide from constitutents. In fact, supporters tout that they will be exemplary representatives and stay in touch plenty. As it should be. And I bet they will.

Aaron Gies - already in the public eye

A good campaign gimmick for the challengers might be to distribute milk containers with photos of Langworthy and Tenney, with the inscription, “Have you seen these politicians?” Imagine hundreds of those hanging on doorknobs.

Here’s my Write On column from July 31, 2026

‘A-Fair’ a hopeful summer sign

By Michael J. Fitzgerald

The heart and health of Finger Lakes’ communities are frequently revealed in events as simple as a town fair. Or sometimes in a town hall meeting when local politicians come ready to show up and listen to constituents.

Last weekend the Hector community celebrated another “Hector Family A-Fair,” an annual day of fun, complete with a classic parade, games, a children’s area, food booths and food trucks, raffles, the essential beer tent, and a massive book sale for the Valois-Logan-Hector Fire Company, sponsored by the library.

The whole megillah was held on the VLH fire department grounds on Rt. 414 in Hector.

The seven-decades old, traditional Hector Firemen’s Fair Hector fair almost died four years ago, amid the worst of the Covid pandemic.

Instead, the Hector Family A-Fair rescued the concept, beginning in 2023 when community-minded people stepped up to make it happen. And by all accounts, it’s quickly become a hopeful, fun family event and a much looked-forward-to tradition.

This year, Hectorites and people from around the Finger Lakes showed up again and had a ball enjoying the one-day celebration.

“Are you coming to the A-Fair?” was a question in nearly all conversations I had with folks in the weeks preceding this year’s doings. The A-Fair has continued without missing a beat, despite the national challenges of ever-rising gasoline prices, fears about the Iran war quagmire, continued brutish actions of federal Immigration & Customs Enforcement Agency agents and just plain old inflation linked to U.S. imposed tariffs.

The rising prices at grocery stores and most corners of our economy are hurting Hector pocketbooks like the rest of America.

I have seen other hopeful signs across the Finger Lakes and New York’s Southern Tier. That included seeing the fruits of revitalization efforts in the once-sleepy village of Lakewood, NY where I grew up. Now the village is a rockin’ place, music-and-activity wise. Last Sunday, a “Chicago” tribute band played to a huge crowd at Hartley Park on the shore of Lake Chautauqua, sponsored by the non-profit Lakewood Community Development Corporation. A vibrant farmer’s market sets up weekly from June to September on Chautauqua Avenue, the Village’s main street. It’s all happening because local residents are increasingly stepping up to make their community better.

Beyond entertainment and commerce, I noticed two other potentially hopeful political changes in NY representation for the 23rd and 24th Congressional districts.

In the 23rd district, incumbent GOP Congressman Nick Langworthy is running for reelection. In the 24th, the GOP’s Claudia Tenney is seeking another term, too.

In the last year, both Langworthy and Tenney adopted a very unpopular, duck-and-cover strategy when it came to contact with constituents. No town halls. Virtually no face-to-face meetings with the public. As a result, there have been persistent citizen complaints about being ghosted, demanding that this pair of politicos show their faces and meet with the public.

In response, Langworthy and Tenney’s challengers in the Nov. 3 election (Aaron Gies and Alissa Ellman, respectively) have promised they will be available plenty and responsive to all constituent inquiries if voters put them in office.

That these challengers believe in meeting with - and listening to - the public seems pretty hopeful. And it should be noted that these two candidates stepped up to run, knowing full well their invisible incumbent opponents will be well financed by the GOP.

Summer is often a hopeful time of the year in the Finger Lakes and across the Southern Tier. We should revel in it when we can. Like going to events such as the Hector Family A-Fair and also stepping up as residents to help wherever we can, however we can.

Fitzgerald has worked at six newspapers as a writer and editor as well as a correspondent for two news services. He splits his time between Valois, N.Y., and the Pacific Northwest. You can email him at Michael.Fitzgeraldfltcolumnist@gmail.com and visit his websites at michaeljfitzgerald.blogspot.com and michaeljfitzgerald.substack.com.