LAMBTON COUNTY – The Lambton Plowmen’s Association celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Lambton County Plowing Match on Saturday, September 3.
Located at 1748 Rokeby Line in St. Clair Township, the Match is free for everyone to enjoy. Back after a two-year pandemic pause, the event features classic, antique and horse plowing competitions, mixed with youth activities, on-site vendors and displays, plowing classes, antique machinery, and entertainment from Scott Manery & the Barn Burners.
Organizers with the Association received a grant from Lambton County’s Creative County program to promote the anniversary event. They’re also working closely with Tourism Sarnia-Lambton.
“This project exemplifies what the Creative County Fund aims to achieve by nurturing and fostering creativity through collaboration and providing support for local organizations,” Lambton County Warden Kevin Marriott said. “I am proud that the Creative County Fund has been able to play a small role in this project, supporting the Lambton County Plowmen’s Association on their mission to inspire, support and preserve the art of plowing and agriculture in Lambton County. The collaboration between these groups and the end result of this project is incredible to see.”
New for this year, the Technology Department at St Patrick’s High School has been working closely with the Lambton County Plowmen’s Association on several marketing initiatives that will help them promote the event to a broader audience.
“This project offered all parties a unique opportunity to learn from each other and to work together. Students had a firsthand opportunity to dive into the rich rural history of our County and to use their skills to assist the Lambton County Plowing Match (LCPA) in developing their materials. As an educator, to watch the members of our LCPA interact and share their knowledge with our students and immerse themselves into learning new digital sandbox concepts were truly inspiring.’’ Robert Walicki, educator at St. Patrick’s Catholic High School, explained. “This LCPA project is a fantastic example of multigenerational collaborative lifelong learning in action.”
“This year marks Lambton County Plowmen’s 100th Anniversary. We are excited to once again be able to competitive plow. We are planning activities for the whole family to celebrate this milestone,” Dennis Bryson, member of the Lambton County Plowmen’s Association, said. “We had to postpone the event during the pandemic, however we are excited to be back and have exceptional support from our sponsors and collaborative partners to celebrate 100 years this September.”
The non-profit Association has held local plowing matches since 1920 at sites that rotate across Lambton County’s rural townships. Lambton County has also hosted the International Plowing Match in 1923, 1973 and 1991.