International Plowing Match and Rural Expo coming to Kawartha Lakes in 2024

DAN CEARNS, The Standard

KAWARTHA LAKES: The International Plowing Match and Rural Expo is coming to Lindsay in 2024.

At a meeting, on Tuesday, May 9th, Bob Armstrong and Cathy Lasby made a presentation to council members regarding the event.

The event will be held on the Lindsay Exhibition Grounds, in early October 2024, with event organizers hoping to see over 80,000 people attend. The event was going to be held in Lindsay in 2020, but it had to be postponed, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the website for the 2023 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo, the event is “a five-day celebration of agriculture and rural living,” involving: “plowing competitions, a range of activities for people of all ages, numerous opportunities to learn about agriculture, near-constant live entertainment in multiple match venues, hundreds of vendors and exhibitors (large and small equipment, lifestyle items and much more), [and] a wide variety of food.”

“We’re delighted to be back. We’ve got our logo brought up to date. We’ve got our dates set, from October 1st to October 5th, 2024, and are certainly pleased to bring the 105th plowing match to your community,” Ms. Lasby said.

Ms. Lasby called this event “the largest event of its kind,” and said it is “one of two events in the farm and rural community that moves from location to location each year.”

She noted this event brings a “strong financial foundation” and stated it will be “a family-friendly, safe, clean event.”

The plowing competition itself will see horse plowing, tractor plowing, antique plowing and modern plowing.

Mr. Armstrong stressed, this is “a community building event.”

“People from our city will meet other residents for the first time and develop friendships and business associations [which] will last a lifetime,” he said.

He then added, there will be a tourism benefit to having roughly 80,000 visitors in the area as well.

“They are going to spend money in our restaurants, our hotels, our service stations, [and] our retail outlets and purchase souvenirs and products to take home for themselves and their families.”

He noted local charities and service groups will benefit from the proceeds of the event.