The Rural Voice, 1993-09, Page 62People
Royalty aplenty at Bruce County's IPM
Bruce County will be royally
represented at the 1993 International
Plowing Match at Walkerton with
no less than two queens on hand.
By happy co -incidence, the
Ontario Queen of the Furrow
presiding over the Walkerton IPM is
a Bruce County resident. Tammy
Thompson, daughter of Jim and
Lynn Thompson, Erin Township
beef producers, won the Ontario
Queen of the Furrow crown at last
year's event in Victoria County near
Lindsay. The
University of
Waterloo student
said she had an
easy time with
her three-minute
impromptu
speech back then
when she was
asked to list the
features that
would make her
home county a
good host for the
IPM. "I've never
been so proud of
coming from a
rural
background,"
she said of
attending the
1992 match.
The time has flown swiftly since
then, Tammy says because she has
been busy attending meetings,
banquets, parades and fairs. "As I
have travelled throughout the
province I have met many people
who have opened their doors and
their hearts to me," she said. "The
spirit of agriculture is alive and well
in Ontario."
As Tammy ends her year of
hectic activity her successor as
Bruce's Tammy Thompson (top) reigns as current Queen
of the Furrow. Cynthia Halliday (left) has hopes for the
tide at this year's IPM.
Bruce County Queen of the Furrow
will be awaiting in nervous
anticipation the crowning of the
Ontario Queen of the Furrow for the
next year. Cynthia Halliday will be
one of 34 young women competing
for the 1993 title. Each competitor
will have a five-minute personal
interview and demonstrate plowing
skills on Wednesday, September 22,
then give a speech at the crowning
banquet in Mildmay on Thursday,
September 23.0
Dozens of farmers provide land for IPM
While Nellie Johnston will oversee the Tented City as Mayor at the 1993
International Plowing Match at Walkerton, it takes three dozen farmers to
provide enough land to handle all the activities from parking lots to trailer camps
to plowing venues and machinery demonstrations. In total more than 1500 acres
will be in use.
Those providing land for the event include Nellie's sons Jim and Campbell
Johnston as well as Dennis Adams, Harold Weber, Ralph Pitt, Mike Nunn,
Mike Moran, Terry McNair, Colin Reesor, Helen Young, Lang Farms Ltd.,
William Zettel, Doug Zettler, Joe Zettler, Ken Waetcher, Len Waetcher, Roy
Waetcher, Ken Grubb, Bob MacDuff, Randy Tolton, Mark Tolton, Ernie
Tolton, Bruce Tractor Ltd., Wilhelm Bros., James Scott, John Hesch, Francis
Riley, Robert Chesney, Wayne O'Rourke, Elmer Riley, John Terwoord, Andy
Schmidt, David Reuber, the UCO Crop Centre and Ikendale Farms.
The Johnston farm provides the site for the 100 -acre Tented City, surrounded
by 10,000 feet of snow fence. It will host more than 600 exhibitors.
Other statistics show just how huge the event is. About 300,000 gallons of
water will be used at the Match, supplied through 15,000 feet of pipe.0
Bobby's a Hull
of a plowman
As celebrity spokesman for Bruce
County's own Algonquin Brewing
Company of Formosa, retired hockey
superstar Bobby Hull got his chance to
show off his plowing skills at the media
day at the International Plowing Match
site near Walkerton in August.
The muscular Hull has plenty of
experience on his own farm but not
handling a walking plow on the hard
dry ground of the Johnston farm.
Hull is just one of many celebrities
who will be plowing. M.P.s, M.P.P.s,
mayors and reeves, media personalities
and county wardens will all be taking
their turn at the controls.0