The Fair

Intl. Plowing Match

2012 date - April 21

For information contact

Results - 70th Plowing Match, April 16, 2011 at Berthusen Park

Adults	Best Dressed Plow Person
1st Place - Andy Hanson	Plow Man - Paul Nelson
2nd Place - Pete Groen	Plow Woman - Shelley Manning
3rd Place - George Bowen
4th Place - Paul Nelson	Adults
	Best Crown - Andy Hanson
Riding Plows	Best Finish - Pete Groen
1st Place - Timm Turnbough	Best Firmness and Packing - Andy Hansonen
	Best In and Out - Andy Hanson
Novelty
Tim Cramer	Youth
	Best Crown - Trey Shagren
Ladies	Best Finish - Dak Shagren
1st Place - Shelley Manning	Best Firmness and Packing - Trey Shagren
2nd Place - Katie Weidkamp	Best In and Out - Rene Manning
Youth
1st Place- Trey Shagren
2nd Place - Dak Shagren
3rd Place - Katie Weidkamp

FORMER CHAMPIONS

Roy Bonsen                                                                                                Bill Shagren

        1964, 1974, 1985, 1989                                                                              1986, 1987

Peter D. Dykstra                                                                                         Craig Shagren

        1970                                                                                                            1990, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999

Scott Hamstra                                                                                           William Shagren

        1992, 1993, 2000                                                                                        1943, 1944

Andy Hanson                                                                                            C M VanderGriend

          2007, 2008, 2009                                                                                       1952                          

Arnold Houg                                                                                              Steve Vander Yacht      

        1942                                                                                                            1996                          

Clarence Koetje                                                                                       Robert VanMersbergen

        1946, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1956                                                                    1961          

John Korthuis                                                                                             Cornelius Verduin

        1959, 1966                                                                                                  1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1960

Chris Polinder                                                                                                     1963, 1965, 1971, 1972, 1973

        1997                                                                                                            1976, 1979, 1984

Courtney Polinder                                                                                    Frank Verduin                   

        2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010                                                          1945, 1962

Fred Polinder Jr.                                                                                         Willard Wilder

        1968, 1969, 1975, 1977, 1978                                                                    1967, 1988

Henry Polinder                                                                                                  

        1948, 1950, 1953                                                                                       

Scott Polinder

        1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1991

Chris Porter

        2006                                                                                                   

 

Plowing Match History - written in part by Elvina Magill Verduin

Following is the history of the plowing match as it was written by Elvina Magill-Verduin.  She was married to Cornelius “Cornie” Verduin who, along with Jack Elliott and Fred Polinder, was instrumental in starting the plowing match tradition.

 One spring day in 1942 as Cornie and Jack were driving through the country and admiring the freshly plowed fields, one of them said, “Let’s have a plowing match”.  Not knowing how to go about such an enterprise, they took a jaunt to Chilliwack, B.C. where the plowing contest there was well established.  The Canadian Plowing Society members willingly gave them valuable assistance in organization, classes, rules, scoring, and judging.  A Canadian plow person even came down to Lynden to assist with the first match – which was a decided success in both displaying skills of the plow person and attendance of spectators.  Thus began the first all-horse plowing match in the United States.  They named it the International Plowing Match because Canadians continued to participate each year (in a special Canadian class because their plows are very different from the standard American plow).  

 The first of several interested plow men paid the expenses – which were minimal, even for those times.  After the first year different money-making ideas were tried, the most successful being a pancake breakfast.  The “Pancake Day” became well-established as a Lynden area spring traditional “get-together” where there was music and entertainment along with the pancakes, ham, etc. 

One set policy was no admission was to be charged – and another was things were to be kept informal with those attending being permitted to walk beside the plots, watch the horses at work, and visit with the plow person, if they so desired. 

The International Plowing Matches were held in fields donated by farmers – always in April so the crops could be planted on time.  Even today, the standing date for the Match is the third Saturday of April each year.   The first match was held on the

Depot Rd.

on land owned by Dick Rutgers and which later became LTI headquarters.  Another place was Harold and Sena Weidkamp’s property, now the

Garden Drive

residential area.  Later, for a number of years, the match was held on the

Pole Road

on land Herman Miller leased from Bookey Farms. 

Thus, the Plowing Match continued for many years.  However in l982 the Northwest Washington Fair was asked to hold the match on the fairgrounds in conjunction with the new Spring Fair.  This continued until 2009 when the match was held at the North Washington Implement site on Guide and Main Streets due to events scheduling.   In 2010 (the 69^th consecutive year) the Plowing Match was moved to Berthusen Park west of Lynden which is intended to become  its permanent home along with the Puget Sound Antique Tractor and Machinery Association. 

Today, the International Plowing Match remains a significant part of the local heritage and is sponsored by the Northwest Washington Fair and other businesses within the community.  The International Plowing Association puts on the event and is an active group of volunteers consisting of multi-generational plowing families and people interested in preserving the tradition of the Plowing Match.