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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-07-13, Page 8PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017. Countdown to I,I '1 IPM '78 host overned at Canadian level Walking the walk Jim Armstrong, his wife Carol and their children played host to the 1978 International Plowing Match when they lived just east of Wingham. The Armstrongs, however, weren't just land for the IPM to use — Armstrong had been involved with competitive plowing organizations at the local and provincial levels before hosting the match. He would then go on to serve the cause at a national level and at an international level. And, clearly from the above photograph, Armstrong knew his way around a plow himself as well. (Courtesy photo) By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Jim Armstrong, who lives just north of Blyth, has been a big part of the competitive plowing scene for decades and the branches of his tree have continued his great work. Armstrong and his wife Carol served as hosts for the 1978 International Plowing Match (IPM), which was held on land that is now the Richard W. LeVan Airport on Hwy. 86 just east of Wingham The ambition to one day host an IPM, however, was just the tip of the iceberg for Armstrong. For decades, Armstrong worked for David Brown farming equipment. The company had territory in Ontario, but was looking to expand and that was where Armstrong came in. It was through his work that he became familiar with the IPM and provincial figures who were instrumental in its success, like Walton's Gordon McGavin. It was, however, when he was earning a degree in agriculture from the University of Guelph that he was first introduced to the world of competitive plowing. In a 1993 interview with The Rural Voice, Armstrong said he tagged along and observed some of his classmates and learned the importance of setting up equipment ahead of the competition. After attending the match for several years, Armstrong quietly and privately began to hope that one day he and his family might host an IPM. However, in the early stages of that desire, Armstrong said his family didn't exactly share that enthusiasm. However, as Huron County won the right to host the 1978 IPM and his family's farm was in the running as a potential host, everyone soon came around. "I was really interested by the IPM and I thought some day that I wished I'd have the luck of hosting something like that," Armstrong said in an interview with The Citizen. The Armstrongs first set up shop in Peel County (now the Regional Municipality of Peel), where Jim and Carol maintained a dairy farm. However, Jim suffered a heart attack at the young age of 34 and he was forced into an early -life career change. The family moved to Huron County in the late 1960s and began to farm on the Wingham-area parcel of land where the 1978 IPM would eventually be held. The Armstrongs established a beef and cash crop operation once they were settled in Huron County. The Armstrongs made the change in order to put Jim's health first and they had to sell the dairy herd before they moved to the Wingham area. And while he and the family had to make a change, he said they were all determined to still make a great life for themselves, despite the challenges. "After that you can sit in a chair in the corner of the house or you can get up and get back to work," he said. After attending several IPMs and meeting those involved with the Ontario Plowmen's Association (OPA), Armstrong's farm was thrown into the mix for the 1978 match. Back then, he said, there was a five-year lead -up between announcing the host county and actually hosting the match. That was essential at the time, because many counties were bidding to host the match and the environment was very competitive, which made hosting the IPM even more thrilling for the family. The Armstrongs were in the process of acquiring more land for their operation in the years leading up to the match, so they had to move some crops around and began growing alfalfa as early as they could to ensure a good base on their land for the tented city. When the time actually came, Armstrong said he was shocked when he woke up every morning of the IPM to look out the windows of his home and see a tented city with thousands of people walking around. To this day, he says, the IPM in 1978 is one of the best -attended in the OPA's history, attracting 215,000 people to the area over the course of five days. Armstrong says he remembers fearing rain the week of the match after weather had washed out the match of the year previous, but it proved to not be a factor. One highlight that Armstrong says he remembers more than many of the others is on opening day of the match when he and Carol met Neil Armstrong and his wife Janet. Jim says he remembers the astronaut being exceptionally humble and interesting. In fact, the two men bonded over the Scottish roots of their ancestors when after some discussion they realized that their ancestors both came from the same small town in the southeast comer of Scotland: Langholm. He said the match, which is commonly referred to as the "Money Match", will always be remembered as a great success. And while he spent most of his time circulating around the site and meeting people, other members of the Armstrong family were also hard at work. Carol was in charge of the IPM's women's program throughout the match and on one day Jim served as the program's guest speaker. Of their five children, Jim said that his and Carol's son Bill was one of the biggest helpers, but that their two youngest daughters, Deborah and Wendy (Deborah is the chair of the beautification committee at this year's match and Wendy is the principal at North Woods Elementary School) got the most out of hosting the match and being present at the site throughout the week. The two girls were in their teens at the time of the match and worked as greeters, meeting hundreds of guests every day. Armstrong's involvement in the world of competitive plowing, however, runs far deeper than simply hosting the match in 1978. In the years leading up to the Armstrongs hosting the match, Jim Continued on page 9 The Armstrongs Jim and Carol Armstrong played host to the 1978 International Plowing Match when it was hosted just east of Wingham on the land that is now the Richard W. LeVan Airport and the day that most will always remember was opening day when astronaut Neil Armstrong and his wife Janet helped to open the monumental event. The match would go on to welcome 215,000 people to Huron County over the course of the five days of the match. From left: Carol Armstrong, Neil Armstrong, Janet Armstrong and Jim Armstrong. (Courtesy photo)