From Lambton County Archives’ Facebook page:

Continuing from our last #StoriesfromtheVault, this week we’re highlighting the 1973 International Plowing Match, held from September 25 to 29.

The event took place on more than 600 acres of farmland owned by J.D. McGugan, the Reeve of Brooke Township, and neighbouring farmers north of Alvinston.

Lambton County was hosting the match exactly 50 years after it had first welcomed the event, and organizers marked the occasion by reuniting 13 men who had competed in that original 1923 match.

Much had changed in the intervening decades. With more Canadians now living in cities than on farms, the 1973 event aimed to appeal to both rural and urban audiences.

Unlike the more modest affair of 1923, the 1973 Plowing Match had a festive, carnival-like atmosphere. The opening parade drew a crowd of up to 30,000 spectators and included musical performances by the Marching Angels of Sarnia, a carved wagon pulled by eight nearly-identical Belgian horses—and even an elephant!

A 100-acre tent city hosted more than 330 exhibits showcasing both farm equipment and household goods. A special tent organized by the Lambton County Women’s Program Committee featured activities geared toward women, including cake decorating, painting, weaving, and a fashion show. The Queen of the Furrow competition had also become a major feature of the match.

Of course, the heart of the event remained the plowing competitions.

Junior farmers offered free “taxi rides” on tractor-pulled flatbeds to shuttle visitors between the tent city and the plowing grounds.

Over the course of four days, more than 100 acres were plowed by over 700 competitors across 38 events. For the first time, women competed alongside men—another sign of how the match had evolved.

In the end, the 1973 International Plowing Match was a resounding success, drawing a record-breaking crowd of 150,000 people to Lambton County.

Source: Lambton County Archives Facebook Post

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From Lambton County History Rocks:

Source: Lambton County History Rocks Facebook post

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