Loading...
The Citizen, 2017-05-25, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2017. Countdown to IPM '17 s Flood, ruts made 'Mud Match' memorable: Scott Looking back Ken Scott has been involved in three International Plowing Matches. His family farm was used for the 1966 "Mud Match", he was a committee member for the 1999 "Dust Match" and he is on the signage committee for the upcoming 2017 IPM in Walton. Scott is shown here with a souvenir helmet from the 1966 match in his garage which currently holds hundreds of signs that he hopes to have organized into crates for specific sites throughout the grounds in time for the Walton IPM in September. (Denny Scott photo) By Denny Scott The Citizen When people are looking to get where they are going at the 2017 International Plowing Match (IPM) in Walton this September, signs will be there to help lead the way thanks to Ken Scott and his dedicated signage committee. Scott, who lives just outside of Seaforth, has been involved in two previous International Plowing Matches, helping to bring the 1999 "Dust Match" outside of Dashwood to life as part of the event committees and helping to host the 1966 "Mud Match" on his family farm where the parking and plowing for the event was held. His father, Sam Scott, had attended plowing matches before, but Scott said this was the first time he remembered him being involved. When thinking back on what he remembers about the 1966 "Mud" match, he said the rain, the mud and the friendliness of those involved are what stick out in his mind. "We had 80 acres involved in the match," he said. "The first thing I remember is, the Saturday before the Book Your Ad Now for the 2017 IPM Issue Distributed to all homes in Huron County and western Perth County (through Canada Post) plus all campers staying at the Match RV site, with copies available for match goers to pick up — 35,000 copies in total Call The Citizen 519-523-4792 or contact sales representatives Brenda Nyveld & Heather Fraser e-mail: ads@northhuron.on.ca match, I was 16 years old and we were painting tires to make them look good. After that, what I remember is watching the crowds coming and going through the mud" The comings and goings left some pretty substantial ruts on the farm, which has been in the family for five generations, especially from parking, Scott said. "Cars were stuck and having to get pulled out on our property and it was leaving some really, deep, really difficult ruts," he said. While he doesn't have rubber boots turning up on the family farm, that he lives on with his wife Maria, he said that the family did come out with a nice logging chain after the match as it was lost in the mud. Scott had some jobs to do, both at the grounds and away from them, and he remembers the rain and the mud permeating the entire event. "I had to haul away manure from the livestock building for the event," he said. "We had a John Deere B Row Crop and, by the time I was making the trips, the front tires didn't turn anymore, they just slid through the mud." Scott worked at the CKNX television station in Wingham in the mornings and he remembers one day, the water was running in one side of the building and all the way through to the other side. "I also remember the OPP were using snowmobiles to go up the streets in the mud," he said. "They didn't have 4x4s then, so they had to use the snowmobile." Scott also remembers working with National Plowing Champion Gordon McGavin who, when Scott presented his time sheet for the match, put a one in front of what he was to be paid. "As a 16 -year-old at the time, that was a pretty big thing," he said. "It was great and it was very appreciated" With the experience from the 1999 match and the fond memories of the 1966 match, Scott was happy to lend a hand when 2017 IPM Chair Jacquie Bishop asked him to be a part of this plowing match. "She asked if I would be willing to do the signs for the match," he said. "I was happy to join up" The job of the signage committee is to have, in place for the match, the signs people need to get to where they're going, whether that is for traffic, for parking or for specific displays or locations throughout the ground. Having those signs ready to go is no mean task and not one that can be started late in the planning process either, says Scott. He and a team of volunteers travelled to the site of the last IPM to clean, sort and deliver the signs to his workshop on his family farm which has been taken Continued on page 11 Broken Washer? Blyth Laundromat 191 Westmoreland St., Blyth 519-523-9687 Rural Reads for the whole family The Kids' 3 Buid1ngq istraetno.rlilna WK.., Parents loeullQT(ge Tse J-t+ale6 eulx.alb9..ts.n AGRICULTURE TODAY THE KIDS' BUILDING WORKSHOP Kids can learn and gain confidence in woodworking. This book provides basic instructions for tools plus 15 projects kids and parents can build together: from toy furniture to bird houses to a puppet theatre. $18.95 HONEY: NATURE'S GOLDEN HEALER Scientist, lecturer and beekeeper Gloria Havenhand demonstrates that honey is essential for healthy living, boosting the immune system and preventing diseases. Honey can benefit in everything from tonics to treatments. $19.95 SEARCHING FOR GREY -BRUCE Neustadt photographer Telfer Wegg travels the length and breadth of Grey and Bruce to capture 120 images, from the area's spectacular water -falls and four -seasons' beauty to farming, the Lakeshore and the dramatic Niagara escarpment. $35.00 A PORTRAIT OF FAMILY FARMS IN ONTARIO rrI r ',EGG • DOMOIE SITTER • FRED HEL V IO AGRICULTURE TODAY A Portrait of Family Farms in Ontario Photographers Telfer Wegg, Bonnie Sitter and Fred Helwig capture the complexity of modern farm life: crops from planting to harvest, livestock and specialties. Includes informative text. $45.00 ' The Beauty Bounty OF HURON COUNTY EM Caresi er's THE BEAUTY AND BOUNTY OF HURON COUNTY Stunning photographs by 3 Huron County photographers, including Brussels' David Bishop, show Huron County as you've never seen it with aerial shots, wildlife, landscapes, nature. $40.00 MILES FOR MEMORIES At age 74 retired Perth County farmer Jeff Timmermans bicycled 8248 km across Canada over four months to raise awareness of Alzheimers which had struck down his wife Toni. He recalls that journey and their life together in this book. $20.00 Behind Bars Inside Ontario, Heritage Gunls Ron Brown BEHIND BARS — Inside Ontario's Heritage Gaols: Popular Ontario historian Ron Brown tells short, colourful stories of more than 50 Ontario jails, including Goderich, Owen Sound, Stratford and Walkerton and those people who have been imprisoned in them. $22.95 100 NATURE HOT SPOTS IN ONTARIO: The Best Parks, Conservation Areas and Wild Places From Pelee Island to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park this book has the province covered. Photos and text tell you why you should visit these spots. $29.95 Journey to Perfection THE AGRI<ULTUBAL ART CA Ross BUTLER JOURNEY TO PERFECTION The Agricultural Art of Ross Butler Admire the art of Oxford County artist Ross Butler whose paintings of cows and horses were once in every Ontario classroom. Read the story of his struggle to have his art accepted. $29.95 We have books for everyone at... 413 Queen St., Blyth • 541 Turnberry St., Brussels The Citizen 519-887-9114 519-523-4792