HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1966-10-27, Page 9Q
Q
119th Year 4 No. 42
obe nt
THE GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR THURSDAY, OCT., 27 1966
Second.. Section Pages 944
Goderich Rotarians John Morris (driving, if mud. The tr.ailer carried a load of Rotary
you could call,it that) and Bob Nephew, plowing match sombreros. The tractor found
ride a small trctor through plowing match it heavy going in the mud.
Gerritts Improvement Winner
A Goderich Township farmer,
Bill Gerritts, RR 1, Clinton, won
county honors in the farmstead -
and rural improvement Lenten:
nial project. Announcement of
county winners was made at
the plowing match, Wednesday
morning.
`" Yt—yri t1 f
Looking like a true pitchman Goderich
Rotarian Clem Jutras (with arm raised)
pushes the Rotary official plowing match
hats at the mud bath. Besides being stylish
the wide brimmed` hats kept the head dry.
Men, women and children were seen in the
hats all over the grounds. Another "official"
topper, a hard hat was not as popular.
Rev. G. L. Royal, Knox Presbyterian Church, Goderich, and
Rev. Douglas Fry, First Presbyterian Church, Seaforth, chatted
in front of the Western Ontario Alcohol Education Association
tent. Rev. Royal's helmet's "Play Safe, Abstain," label represents
a hard -hatted attitude toward drink.
City Reporter Disillusioned
Piowing .Match Sights, Sounds
One sound pervaded and per- Perhaps that is he sound of the creak of harness and the
meated the International Plow-, agriculture in the year 1966. puff of a working team of
ing Match. But it causes one to wonder horses. ,
a �.]
t � -i'e er.,p
l^^^ +":L' Al-A'R^v".L•'lr +ic','�"x"ASi/. it. - R ubtff - . . V`
.3 _ .._ ...... - .... _. .. .... ., - .'�� - 'Cfa'Ulill_�. �t�l'It1Cl1... ..� s
t was no��i�ie sound""'o'�°orse� i� g
neighing, music, persons laugh- like when horses were the only been a plowing match like that
g
motive ower on a faran. since before the Second. World.
ing, or cheering. Nor was it P .
Plowing match :officials could' War, and while the Internation-
cause to be observed a 'five al Plowing Mabdh has become
minute period of silence each a bigger extravaganza each year,
day of future plowing matches it has also become noisier.
when all engines must stop. The majority of those who
It could carry those•attending attended this year's plowing
the plowing match back 60 odd match at Seaforth were too ab -
years to the sound of the wind sorbed in the misery of mud to
sighing in the trees, a bird call- care much what sounds they
ing across the autumn fields, heard.
Rains continued throughout
the original scheduled four days,
and Saturxiay—a .bonus day—of
' the match. Only Friday, a beau-
tifully radiant autumn, day, did
it relent.
The mud generated by the
traffic of several thousand per-
sons through the tented city was
something those who did ' not
attend the match found difficult
to believe.
Those who did attend the
match; generally- bore the evid-
ence of the mud soanewfhere up-
on their clothing even If they
wore rubber boots, or sloshes
or plastic bags as' footwear.
During the fist two days of
the match a rubber boot sales-
man sold 500 pairs, at $5.50 a
pair for men's. A similar itern
was selling in G'oderieh for
9'2t was -to have been the , bit -
gest International Plowing
Match ever held,' with a pre-
dicted attendance of 200,000.
To break even ,_the plowing
match needed 50,000 persons.
Actual attendance was about
6th, Mac Macintosh, Brussels
who won first prize in McKil- Brussels;
who Ross Higgens, Brussels;
8th, Murray Wilson, Auburn;
=9th, Ivan Howatt, Belgrave;
10th, Lloyd McClinchey, Au•
burn; llth, Don Bradie, Bruce -
field; 12th, Ross Skinner, Cen-
tralia.
lop, was second, J. L. Stafford
of Wroxeter, third, while fourth
plate went to Wilson McCart,
ney, Seaforth, who was the
Tuckersmith winner.
Other winners were:
rain falling, hawkers exitolling
their wares,, or steam whistles.
It was the internal conibus9
tion engine.
There is the constant and un-
ceasing sound of helicopters,
tractors, airplanes, snowunobiles.
Cars, trucks, automobiles, and
almost anything else,.
be coupled with.
motor
can
•
GOOfkii 51R OR) OISTRaIT I►_n+rq((IT'S
In the tent maintained, by Goderich `and
Stratford District Labor49 cils, Ian Reilly,
(left) International Reprantative of the
Boot and Shoe Workers' Union and Eric
Miller, R.R. 3, Auburn, a member of Local
682, International Chemical Workers' Union,
at Sifto Mine in Goderich, admire a working
model of a 1910 Robert Bell steam engine.
It was built by Sid Lawson, a member of
Local 1863 of the International Association
of Machinists, at Dominion Road Machinery
Co. Ltd., -at Goderich. The tent displayed
other union label goods.
When what to their wondering eyes did appear! That's right
S. Claus of North Pole. He carried his cane, sleigh bells and
a jug of apple juice. The jolly old fellow didn't mind the mud
and his belly shook with each step he took. What was he
• doing at the plowing match? Well, have you ever seen reindeer
haul a plow?
a OFFICIAL SOUVENIRS
international Ptowln9 match
5-EAFFER PFC:1;:1C'S'.
Photo
Feature
By
Bill . Kearns
•
43,000.' 'llhe match held at Port
Alpert 20 years ago drew 140,
000.
e, Ont,axi.D-
• et in -t.h
Plowman's Association and the
local committee made a brave
attempt to keep events to sche-
dule. It was successful to the
extent that all events w ere
completed by Friday.
I't was among the exhibits that
brief respite from the mud
could be found. It was only
about an inch deep around some
exhibits and an odd one . had a'
floor, which unfortunately had a
surface as slick as a skating rink
because of the slimy, wet mud.
The discomfort of .the mud
.-,.....
seemed to create "' a 'common
bond among those at the match
and most 'remained cheerful.
•
Among it , all the plowmen
plowed, the majority with tract-
ors and a few with horses. Their
=411—
_
w:audienees ��.e�e.
groups or friends and relations. —
A city newspaper reporter
walked several miles the first
day of the match t6' watch the
plowing competitions, and could
not understand why it drew so
few spectators.
"I thought there would be
lots of people around them,"
said the disillusioned reporter,..
So it seems most persons
went to the plowing match to .
look at the sights, pick up pam
phlets from exhibitors or eat
such rare delights as cured pork
chops.
And it is true there are lots
of sights to be seen.
O
The lucky ones at the International Plowing Match were those
who could ride around on these small, motor propelled snow-
mobiles. Even the 'Ontario Provincial Police made good use of
them. The little vehicles moved over the mud at the plowing
match almost as well as they do over snow. It is just messier
to fall off.
Ontario's Premier John Robarts toured the
plowing match Oct. 13 with Highways- Mini.
ster MacNaughton, Huron Warden Kenneth
Stewart and tented city Mayor James Scott,
on whose farm the match was held. In the
Huron County building Mr. Robarts`accepted
some pamphlets on co-op medical services.
Mr. •Roberts was eating maple sugar at the
time and was not sure which was sweeter,
the sugar or the young woman.
A booth, operated by Huron County Junior
Farmer, offering official plowing match
souvenirs, featured Sheaffer Pens made in
Goderich. Booths like these mainly attracted
women, while the men were drawn to the
machinery demonstrations. While the ma-
chines were demonstrated, the farmers turn-
ed over in their minds how they could use
them, and thought. "if I only had the
money." Rain and mud at the match did not
seem to dampen enthusiasm too much.
•
The man in the dark clothingds one of those interesting -looking
persons you see at a plowing match. He has something In
dpmmon with the Man in the two column photograph at the
centre of this page, and that is a one, a beard and high black"
boots. Of course everyone at tho match wore high boots. Police
officer in white raincoat makes o sharp contrast.