Fate of 2021 Peterborough County Plowing Match undetermined - ThePeterboroughExaminer.com

The fate of the 2021 Peterborough County Plowing Match remains in limbo as organizers await approval from Peterborough Public Health.

Before the annual match can take place, the regional health authority must be satisfied that the association has developed a COVID-19 risk-management plan that complies with local and provincial health and safety requirements.

“We have to get the health unit’s permission to go ahead — but we haven’t heard back from them yet,” said Janice Grove, president of the Peterborough County Plowmen’s Association.

The county’s plowing association is one of 44 branches under the auspices of the Ontario Plowmen’s Association. The provincial association’s International Plowing Match was scrapped this year for the second year in a row.

Nineteen branches across the province cancelled their plowing matches this summer, but some are moving ahead with COVID protocols in place.

Grove is hopeful that the county can do the same after going through the approval process — but the clock is ticking.

Grove said the association would need to receive the health unit’s go-ahead by the end of the month in order to have enough time to organize the match and register competitors.

“We can’t leave it until the week before. We can’t leave it until mid-September. If we don’t have something in place at the beginning of next month, I can’t see how we can go ahead with it,” said Grove.

If the match is approved and the association decides to go ahead with the event, it’s set to take place on Sept. 25 in Mathers Corners, west of Keene.

Echoing Grove, Peterborough County Plowmen’s Association advisory councillor Warren Craft said there “just won’t be enough time” unless a decision is made in the next week or so.

“Personally, I’m of the mindset that we might be better off to just say ‘no’ again this year and then come at it full-on next year; raise money starting in the fall and put on a good match instead of trying to do something halfway,” Craft said.

“But that has to be decided by the rest of the (Peterborough County Plowmen’s Association) directors,” he added.

Craft said the pandemic has impacted the association’s ability to raise funds to cover costs associated with hosting the plowing match. Pre-pandemic, local businesses played a big role in funding the annual matches.

“Businesses have been closed or they’re struggling to stay open, so we haven’t been able to fundraise for a year-and-half.”

Brendan Burke is a staff reporter at the Examiner, based in Peterborough. His reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.

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Fate of 2021 Peterborough County Plowing Match undetermined - ThePeterboroughExaminer.com
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