Lambton County’s 100th anniversary plowing match is now set for Sept. 3 after organizers had to wait out the pandemic for two years.
“It should have been 2020,” said Dennis Bryson, a member of the Lambton County Plowmen’s Association.
He said organizers had “just got nicely started” on planning for that anniversary event, “and we had to put the brakes on.”
“Now, we’re back at it,” Bryson said. “It’s coming together quite nicely.”
The association joined with Tourism Sarnia-Lambton Tuesday at a press conference to promote the anniversary match, where Lambton residents can test their plowing skills.
This year’s match will be held at 1748 Rokeby Line in St. Clair Township, with registration beginning at 9 am and the start of plowing slated for 10 am
There will be classic, antique and, hopefully, horse plowing competitions, along with live music by Scott Manery and the Barnburners, an antique machinery display, vendors and youth activities.
“We’re hoping for the best weather we can have that weekend,” Bryson said.
The match has attracted 50 to 60 competitors in recent years and as many as 400 spectators over the course of the day.
“We hope people will make an effort to come out,” Bryson said.
Admission to the event is free and there will be food for sale from the Lions Club in Petrolia.
The day will be capped off with an awards dinner.
There will also be a competition for the next Queen of the Furrow, a title open to women between the ages of 19 and 25. Information is available by contacting Linda Bryson at 510-828-3311.
The association received a grant from Lambton’s Creative County fund and worked with teacher Robert Walicki’s Grade 12 communication technology class at St. Patrick’s Catholic high school to create a new logo and social media presence for the group, as well as a website with historical information and videos that’s expected to go online in August.
“This wasn’t just a school project,” said student Ayla Goodrow. “We were doing something for the county, something that actually had an impact. Being able to participate in that was an amazing opportunity for all of us.”
Warden Kevin Marriott spoke at the press conference about how pleased he was to see the outcome of the collaboration between the plowmen’s association, the school and Tourism Sarnia-Lambton.
“This project exemplifies what the Creative County fund means to achieve by nurturing and fostering creativity,” he said.
“It’s a great rural event that we think is special,” Bryson said. “It’s reached 100 years and we’re going to do our best to keep it going for years in the future.”