By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Steven Lombardo is a man of many characters, not the least of which is Farmer Sydney, ambassador for the Hillsborough County Fair, which ends Nov. 11 with a Veterans Day drone show tribute.
Fair officials three years ago decided to create a character that would represent the fair and its deep-seated roots in everything agriculture, what Betty Jo Tompkins, a member of the fair’s executive board, called “the down-home earthiness of what our fair is all about.”
Indeed, the motto for last year’s fair, “Rooted in Tradition,” and this year’s motto, “Barn in the U.S.A.,” attest to the fair’s local and historical flavor as a much-beloved slice of Americana.
Steven Lombardo, as Farmer Sydney, outside the Farmer Sydney Corner at the Hillsborough County Fair, where family friendly activities have been ongoing throughout the 12-day fair that ends Nov. 11.
Caught in a break from his duties Saturday, Nov. 2, at the 12-day fair, Lombardo talked about his life as Farmer Sydney, named in part for the road that leads into the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds, at 215 Sydney-Washer Road in Dover. The fair ends with Heroes Day Weekend, Nov. 8-11, sponsored by Odiorne Insurance and Auto Owners Insurance Group. In addition to the drone show, there’s free admission for active/retired military with identification, as well as for police, fire and rescue workers with ID.
As Farmer Sydney, Lombardo’s role is to get people excited about the fair and to entertain youth fair visitors, volunteers and livestock show contenders. “Recently, I’ve been told there’s no end in sight for Farmer Sydney, that I’m in the role pretty much every year,” said Lombardo, dressed in paint-spattered white overalls with a red kerchief, green shirt and farmer’s hat.
“That’s a pretty sweet deal.”
But it’s not just the county fair that sets the stage for Lombardo’s talents. This year, he’s scheduled to appear also at the Florida State Fair, set to run Feb. 6-17 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. It will be Lombardo’s first time at the state fair.
He won’t be there as Farmer Sydney — that’s unique to the Hillsborough County Fair — but he has a long list of other acts to draw upon. In addition to Farmer Sydney, Lombardo at the county fair has costumes and bits related to 12 acts, including those that feature his stilt-walking talents, as Fritzy the Clown; unicycle talents, as the cowboy named Buster T-Bone; and his antics as German Fritz, decked out in lederhosen, the traditional leather breeches worn in south Germany, Austria, Bavaria and more.
Moreover, Lombardo juggles, eats fire, spins rope, walks to the top of a big-ball globe and rides a bike that breaks off into two separate unicycles, begging the question, “Are you keeping it together?” Lombardo performs also as Herbie, the Soda Jerk, whose microphone is an ice cream scooper, and Schmoozalino Valentino Lombardo, who rides on a gondola dressed as a gondolier.
Rounding out the list is Lombardo’s act as both Clem and Clay, whose sharp-witted, back-and-forth banter is played out in quick-step fashion, as when Clay says he can see “Clyde Cravitz calling and coaxing the cranky cowpokes to come to the campfire at the crack of dawn for clankerin’ cups of coffee, clammy cold cuts, curried cupcakes and Cream of Wheat with ketchup on top.”
It’s all in the act for Lombardo, who said as Farmer Sydney, he too learns a lot about farming. For example, Lombardo stressed the importance of knowing how far down to plant the seeds for different types of plants. Planting too far down, he said, can cause “suffocated” seeds to fail to germinate and sprout.
Linda Chion Kenney Photos
Steven Lombardo as Farmer Sydney, the ambassador for the Hillsborough County Fair
The draw of Farmer Sydney is that “he’s a non-threatening character whom kids can relate to, and we want people to have positive relationships with farming,” Tompkins said. “We want them to know that the farmer who produces their food is a good guy, somebody they can feel comfortable with and somebody who cares about their well-being.”
Moreover, “most kids and most people don’t understand the basics of agricultural production,” Tompkins said. “They don’t understand how crops are planted. They don’t understand that peanuts grow under the earth. They think that somehow fruits, vegetables and nuts somehow just appear on the supermarket shelf.”
Toward that end, Farmer Sydney’s aim is to be educational but also approachable, and that’s in line with Lombardo’s entertainment objective. “I’m someone who likes people, and I like laughter and I like smiles,” Lombardo said. “I like to bring joy to a hurting world.”
For more on the Hillsborough County Fair, visit www.hillsboroughcountyfair.com or call 813-737-FAIR.
Check the schedule for Farmer Sydney Corner activities, including Make Your Own Fall Slime, Play With Legos, Cupcake Decorating, 30-Minute Lego Challenge, Pumpkin Painting, Team Marshmallow Challenge, Build Your Own Trail Mix, 3×3 Cube Challenge and Make Your Own Hydroponics.