The Rural Voice, 1987-09, Page 104GREY WELCOMES
THE MATCH
T
he opening of Grey
County's doors to
visitors to the 74th
International Plowing Match and
Farm Machinery Show will end
more than ten years of planning.
Competition from counties eager
to host the match is always keen,
and it took five consecutive years
of official bidding at the Ontario
Plowmen's Convention in
Toronto before plowmen from
Grey County convinced the OPA
(Ontario Plowmen's Association)
that Grey could offer the facili-
ties and was capable and enthusi-
astic enough to host the match.
In 1982, the OPA gave Grey
County the go-ahead.
Russ McCutcheon, a farmer
from the Woodford area, was
chosen as local committee chair-
man and land co-ordinator in
January of 1983. The call went
out for chairmen and members to
fill the 26 committees required to
organize the match. Brian
Gamble and Fay Harrison were
named vice-chairmen. Several
potential sites were selected and
reviewed by the OPA, which
eventually chose the John Lowe
and neighbouring farms near
Meaford. The choice was based
largely on the availability of
hydro, telephone lines, soil type,
and potential accommodation.
With committees in place, a
budget of $650,000 was estab-
lished for the local operation of
the five-day event.
More than 250 volunteers
have spent thousands of hours or-
ganizing North America's largest
outdoor farm show and countless
more volunteers will be provid-
ing manpower at the match,
doing jobs ranging from ticket -
taking to delivering boxed
lunches to the plowmen.
Staging such a large, successful outdoor show
would not be possible without the hard work and
dedication that is synonymous with the people of
the rural farming community and its many organi-
zations. These are dedicated workers who take
time from their already busy schedules and work-
load to help organize the match. It is the local
committee and local oranizations that are the
"work horse" of the match.
There are many rewards in being part of the
team, says chairman Russ McCutcheon, who has
attended nearly 100 meetings pertaining to the
match. "Hosting the match brings the county
together," he remarks. "It makes people realize
they have to work together to pull this off." Each
of the 26 local committees respresents an impor-
tant aspect of the IPM, from health and sanitation
and ticket -taking to the Queen of the Furrow
Competition and the Plowmen's Ball.
Committee sizes are equally varied, ranging
from 2 members on the Antique Plowing Commit-
tee to a whopping 34 members on the Beautifica-
tion and Home Improvement Committee, which
has representation from each of the 16 townships
in the county.
While the committees work largely on their
own, organizing their specific events and respon-
sibilities, local chairman Russ McCutcheon and
his first and second vice-chairmen each sit on
eight or nine of the committees, offering their
expertise and guidance when needed. This co-
ordination ensures that all committees are on track
and working to the same end with their specific
tasks.
Rotating the IPM yearly gives all counties the
opportunity to organize the
event, adding a freshness and
spontaneity while drawing from
the experience of committees in
other counties. A tri -county
meeting is held yearly near
Guelph so that committees from
the former host county, the
current host county, and the
upcoming host county can share
ideas and concerns. Last year's
host was Hastings County; next
year's is Perth County.
The economic benefits of
hosting the IPM cannot be over-
looked. Figures from previous
matches indicate that $2 million
is left in the county by 100,000
or more visitors during the five-
day event.
One of the match's main at-
tractions is the Tented City. The
500 exhibitors that make up the
90 -acre temporary city are a
veritable who's who and what's
what of all the services and pro-
ducts that make up the agricul-
tural industry. Local exhibitors
usually participate for one year
only, while larger companies
attend the match annually.
Exhibits co-ordinator, Bev Rawn,
is pleased with the quality and
variety of exhibitors. Very little
promotional work is done by the
OPA to attract exhibitors because
the IPM sells itself, having re-
tained its popularity and identity
as a farm show. The exhibitors
are the driving force that draws
most people to the show from
year to year, and exhibitor
applicants are screened to ensure
that they meet the agricultural
guidelines as established by the
OPA.
Rawn and McCutcheon are
often approached by interested
exhibitors who don't meet the re-
quirements but who want to take
18 GREY COUNTY PLOWING MATCH EDITION