Ah I remember they had, when I first came to Lakefield, the United-Church, which I was going to at that time, ah they must have hosted the plowing-match and they- and we had to make ten pies every member, to put in on this. Oh, and me just married and oh having to make ten pies, anyway I think that's why I joined the Presbyterians.

Interviewer: Now when you go to the south, do people know there's even a place up here? Speaker: They- Speaker 2: No. Speaker: They- they're starting to know. Speaker 2: Since the plowing match. Speaker: Yeah, the plowing match brought a lot of- Speaker 2: Opened up a lot of eyes. Eighty-thousand people come up here.

Well I shouldn't say eighty-thousand came. Eighty-thousand went through the- the gates which wouldn't be eighty-thousand people. But we- went down and promoted our plowing match ah we went to down ah to ah Woodstock and we went to east of Peterborough. A few places like two or three years before promoting it and they would all say, "Oh, but it's so far." We'd say, "Well, we come down here all the time."

Speaker: I worked ah both provincially and nationally on the behalf of the beef industry in Ontario. So I've been very fortunate to be able to have done what I've done. Ah, three years ago, I had the opportunity to plan and implement the international plowing match, which we hosted here. Interviewer: Yes, yes. Speaker: Yes, in two-thousand and nine. I was the coordinator for that. I spent three years putting that together with a fabulous team of volunteers. And ah, it was- you-know, it was our opportunity to showcase the north and we did that.

Speaker: I'm the executive assistant to the M-P-P, David-Ramsey. Interviewer: Wow. Speaker: So when the plowing match was over, his executive assistant had moved to Ottawa and he was looking for someone so he called and asked if I was interested. And I said, "Ah, I might be." So it's a wonderful job, I love it.

And it's very similar to what I was doing, in a sense at the plowing match. So I've had a- I've been there two years now. He's retiring so I'll be looking for something else.

Speaker: International. They had an international plow match. Plowing match. Interviewer: Here. Oh no- Speaker: They came from all over. In Englehart. Interviewer: Wow. Interviewer 2: They actually- Speaker: No no it was Earlton. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Speaker: It was Earlton. Interviewer 2: Thought it was all a farming community.

Interviewer: So the community tends to be pretty supportive of that- Speaker: Yeah. Interviewer: Of initiatives like that. Speaker: Yeah. And last- last year, there was the International-Plowing-Match. Interviewer: Oh yes, yeah. Speaker: That one wa-- was held in Earlton and th-- even that was huge for, ah, Northern-Ontario because to have such a huge event- Interviewer: Yeah. Speaker: In a small area- Interviewer: Yeah. Speaker: Completely changed our econom-- economy that year-

... New-Liskeard has a biker's reunion that is very popular. It's a fund-raiser for cancer, they make a lot of money. They raise a lot. There- ah couple years ago they had the international plowing match in Earlton. Interviewer: Oh. Speaker: That's kind-of halfway between Kirkland and the tri-towns. Interviewer: Oh. Speaker: Raised a ton of money, had a ton of support. Interviewer: Wow. Speaker: So I think- i-- I think it's common to small northern communities um to be very supportive.

Interviewer: Like because lots of people in the south don't know what's up here in the north. Speaker: They haven't any idea. They figured they're north if they if they get to Barrie. I was involved in the International-Plowing-Match which was up here. Ah two fall- like it will be two years ago. Interviewer: Can you tell me what that's about? Speaker: Yes. It's um- it's a place- it's um a show- Interviewer: Mm-hm. Speaker: Where ah people who sell agricultural commodities, what that- whatever for w-- better word. Well it wouldn't even be that. It would be rural living basically. Um, they come to show those off. But the venue really is plowing. They plow with horses and they plow with- and it's a rural plowing match. It's held all over southern Ontario. But for one year they came up here. And people were just aghast. We had eighty thousand people.

Speaker: What year was the plowing match? O- o-eight I guess. Interviewer: Oh.

Speaker: Plowing was interesting, like I'd plowed before but no, just used different tractors. Interviewer: Oh okay. Speaker: And the plowing match is like these people are really serious about plowing. Interviewer: Whoa (laughs). Speaker: Like they mark your straightness, your depth, like your opening split and all (inc).

Speaker: Like we had the I-P-M here a couple years ago. Interviewer: The what? Speaker: The International Plowing Match. Interviewer: Oh, oh okay. Speaker: That was pretty big.

Interviewer: Um, do you remember I-P-M? Well obviously it was- Interviewer 2: Yeah. Interviewer: (inc) Interviewer 2: International-Plowing-Match. Speaker: Oh wow. Interviewer: Did you go? Speaker: No, um (laughs)- Interviewer 2: Loser! Speaker: Yeah, I never- I never went. I didn't get to go with the school either so I- didn't bother me. All ther-- there was just more traffic essentially (laughs).

Speaker: We do the shows now, we do ah the- the big Toronto toy show that's ah our number one. And then ah some regional doll and bear shows we do, and actually I'm going to the ah regional plowing match on Friday and I'm going to set up there. Interviewer: And where's that being held? Speaker: It's at Hammond's farm where the international plowing match was ah five years ago.

The other kid come up and said, "Oh don't cry, they're not going to take Patrick." (laughs) So, um, yeah, so it did change- oh yeah and Patrick did mention, I don't know, um- when he was seven years old he got second prize in a plough match.

Speaker 1: (laughs) Speaker 2: So, um, yeah, so it did change- oh yeah and Patrick did mention, I don't know, um- when he was seven years old he got second prize in a plough match. Speaker 1: Oh yeah. Speaker 2: So- Speaker 1: That's right. Speaker 2: Yeah, so, ah- yeah that was really something. At seven years old you get a- a ploughing match

They were good lads though. Oh yeah. But Gabe and I, we done plowing matches, we done weddings. I've never done a funeral with Gabe but I've done funerals.