LINDSAY – There will be no International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM) in 2020.
The 103rd edition of IPM has been postponed until October 2021, Ontario Plowmen’s Association (OPA) officials announced on May 25. The 2021 IPM will run from Oct. 13 to 16 and will be held at the Lindsay Fairgrounds and neighbouring farms in Lindsay, a community in the Municipality of Kawartha Lakes.
“The Leadership of the OPA made this most difficult decision while closely monitoring local, provincial and federal government information and regulations,” OPA officials state. “In spite of these difficult times, the OPA has never wavered from their responsibility to the people that make the IPM successful year after year. The health and safety of our volunteers, sponsors, competitors, visitors and staff will always be our number one priority.”
The postponement marks only the third time since it began in 1913 that the event has not been able to open. Ironically, the first cancellation was in 1918 when a quickly-spreading flu pandemic struck the City of Ottawa. The mayor of Ottawa and the federal Minister of Agriculture denied the use of the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa just the day before the IPM was to open.
During the Second World War, the IPM did not open either. Canadians dedicated their time and talents to the war efforts.
2022 IPM in Kemptville
The OPA is also moving forward with plans for the 104th IPM, which the OPA will be co-hosting with the Municipality of North Grenville and the Grenville Plowmen’s Association.
The 2022 IPM will run from Sept. 20 to 24 at the Kemptville College campus and the neighbouring farms at Kemptville.
