Organizers cancelled the show last year because of the pandemic
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A popular event in Chatham-Kent is returning in 2021 after the pandemic forced its cancellation last year.
The Chatham-Kent Plowing Match takes place Sat. Aug. 14 at Greg and Kelly Guy’s farm in Merlin, Ont.
Organizers are looking forward to the match as it represents a sense of normalcy.
At its core, the plowing match will be the plowing match. But protocols are in place to ensure the event can run smoothly and safely, said Stephanie Richardson, secretary of the Chatham-Kent Plowmen’s Association.
“We’re putting on as normal of a plowing match as we can,” she told Farms.com. “Usually, we do registrations they day of but now we had to do them ahead of time. Everyone attending is filling out a COVID waiver form and all plowmen and spectators must wear a mask and practice distancing.”
The Queen (contestants aged between 17 and 23) and Princess (contestants aged between 11 and 16) of the Furrow competitions will go on as scheduled but with changes.
“The contestants usually do an (in-person) speech and an interview, but the interviews are happening on Zoom on Friday evening,” Richardson said. “Those are usually done on site. “The speeches are usually done at our banquet but unfortunately we’re not having a banquet this year. So instead, the contestants will record the speeches ahead of time and they will be shared on our social media channels.”
Anyone looking for more information about the plowing match can contact Richardson at 519-365-5952 or by email.
Two more plowing matches are scheduled for Ontario communities this year.
The Huron County Plowing Match will take place Aug. 20 and Ottawa-Carleton event will happen on Aug. 28
Contact information for those events can be found on the Ontario Plowmen’s Association website.