Festival is celebrating 35 year this year
Q: What is your budget this year?
A: We’re running, I want to say, around $750,000. Three-quarters of a million.
Q: Who’s sponsoring the fireworks?
A: Pathfinder Bank is taking care of the whole ball of wax again. [Cost to run the fireworks is $115,000.]
Q: Any new big sponsors?
A: Not really; we still have our main sponsors — Constellation, Novelis, Pathfinder, Dorsey Eagle Beverage and a whole bunch of other people.
Q: What’s new this year?
A: We have a lot more stuff for the kids. This year, Thursday and Friday, we have a circus that will take up the whole area down there in the Novelis Park, the children’s park. There will be a ton of stuff for the kids. Also, the shuttles are going to be free this year. Being our 35th anniversary we decided to take care of the shuttles. There will be a stop up by the Speedway. The Speedway has advertised for camping for Harborfest this year.
Q: Do you have enough volunteers?
A: Yes, we will have enough volunteers this year. The hardest part is trying to find volunteers to man the parking lots. That is the worst part. Those volunteers get a lot of abuse from people trying to find parking.
Q: How is your staff?
A: If I didn’t have that staff in the office, I’d be lost. Barb Manwaring and Carol Dillabough and everyone take care of things very well.
Q: You’ve been associated with Harborfest since 1990 and became the president in 2023. Is it still fun being in charge of the festival?
A: Yes it is. This year is a little bit stressful what with the barges and all. But I’m having a good time. On Thursday and Friday nights, we have some really good music. Thursday is Blood Sweat and Tears and on Friday we have Mark Farmer of Grand Funk Railroad American Band.
Q: Any concerns?
A: The thing I was having the hardest time with this year is we had to take care of our own barges for this year’s fireworks. The barges the last couple of years were taken care of by the city by Mayor Barlow and Malone Excavating. Bill Scriber [Port of Oswego director] got me in touch with this company up in Clayton. We’re talking really expensive [$75,000].
Q: How did you get involved with Harborfest?
A: My wife, Patty, got started in Harborfest back in 1990 by volunteering on the trolleys. I was crewing for Joe Gosek and Harborfest was always the same weekend as a race in Sandusky, Ohio. But one year, I decided to stay home and attend Harborfest — helping on the trolleys with my wife. I really liked it and continued to volunteer. I started around 2001. And the rest is history. I became director in January of 2023.
Q: What do you do outside of Harborfest to relax?
A: I’m still involved in the race car with Joe Gosek. We haven’t been up there yet this year, but we’re looking to go this week. My wife and I enjoy camping with our travel trailer during the warm months. During the winter months, we enjoy attending the SUNY Oswego men’s ice hockey games. We also enjoy kayaking in the good weather when we can.
