08/10/2026
As we close the gates on the 80th DeRuyter Firemen’s Fair, we have a lot of people to thank.
For four days, these fairgrounds were full of people, laughter, old friends, families, traditions and memories being made. After months of planning and weeks of preparation, seeing everything come together reminds us exactly why we keep doing this year after year.
First and foremost, thank you to our volunteers. This fair simply does not happen without you. Thank you to everyone who cooked, served food, sold tickets, cleaned, directed traffic, worked events, stocked supplies, washed dishes, emptied garbage, fixed whatever broke, and jumped in wherever another set of hands was needed. Many of you were here long before the gates opened and stayed long after everyone else went home.
There is also an incredible amount of work that happens before anyone ever walks through the gates. Buildings are cleaned, equipment is serviced, repairs and improvements are made, food and supplies are ordered, schedules are created, volunteers are found, and countless little details are handled behind the scenes. Most people will never see that work, but we certainly do, and we appreciate every person who helped make it happen.
Thank you to our vendors, exhibitors, entertainers, competitors, community organizations, neighboring fire departments, sponsors and local businesses. Whether you donated, participated, performed, competed, volunteered, provided a service or helped us out when we needed something at the last minute, you were an important part of this fair.
And most importantly, thank you to everyone who came through our gates.
Thank you for helping us sell out of fried dough, buying the fries and burgers, purchasing 50/50 tickets, supporting our vendors, riding the rides, watching the parade, cheering at the pulls and shows, listening to the bands, visiting the exhibits, watching the fireworks and simply spending part of your week with us.
Celebrating 80 years is pretty special. This fair belongs just as much to the generations who came before us as it does to those of us putting it on today. We are simply the current caretakers of a tradition built by decades of volunteers who gave their time and energy to this community. Some are still working right beside us, some have passed the responsibility on, and some are no longer here to see what they helped build continue.
This year, you showed up for that tradition, and we couldn’t be more grateful.
We’re tired, the cleanup isn’t finished, and there’s probably still something somewhere that needs to be put away, but we are incredibly proud of what our volunteers and our community accomplished together.
From all of us at the DeRuyter Volunteer Fire Department, thank you for supporting our department and for making the 80th DeRuyter Firemen’s Fair one we will remember.
The lights are going off, the midway is coming down, and before long someone will inevitably ask, “So, what are we doing for next year?”
And somehow, we’ll do it all over again.
Thank you, DeRuyter. We’ll see you at the 81st.
