Kemptville, Ont. hayfield transforming into tented city ahead of 2022 International Plowing Match

The International Plowing Match (IPM) is scheduled to begin in one week, with thousands expected to attend. To accommodate them, a tent city needs to be built near Kemptville, a process that takes months.

"A lot of meetings, a lot of planning, a lot of heartache, a lot of joy," laughed Hugh O'Neill, IPM Tented City Co-Chair.

"It's going good, we've been running ahead of schedule all summer with the setup," O'Neill noted.

Passing the 60-acre field along County Road 44, travellers will notice that tents are slowly being added each day.

Organizers say the planning process began in January, and right now the tented city is about half finished.

"We're building a city with power and water and there will be, I think, probably about 150 tents with the various exhibitors," noted Harry Bennett, IPM Organizing Committee Local Chair.

Staff work to build animal pens in one of the tents at the International Plowing Match near Kemptville, Ont. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

Ten kilometres of water lines have been run underground, more than 75 hydro poles have been erected and internet towers will also be installed.

"We've got streets and avenues and service roads. It's a small city!" Bennett smiled. 

By this time next week, the tented city will be complete, ready to welcome up to 80,000 visitors over the five-day event, which begins on Sept. 20.

The IPM rotates around the province every year, and was originally scheduled in Kemptville for 2020. It had to be cancelled for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

IPM Marketing Director & Advertising Chair Cassidy Reaney says more than 1,000 volunteers have signed up to help out during the match.

"It takes a village, and the village of Kemptville has really responded well in showing off their pride, so it's great," she said. 

The plowing match is an opportunity to share information and learn about the farming industry, with interactive farm displays, demonstrations and live entertainment.

"It's a celebration of community living and rural expo, so it's really focused on rural community and how we can promote ourselves better to the city," Reaney added.

"There's quite a big education session for school kids," Bennett said. "Educating them about agriculture and where food comes from. We're expecting 1,500-2,000 kids a day."

A tractor drives past one of the tents set up near Kemptville, Ont. ahead of next week's International Plowing Match. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

There's so much to see, organizers say plan your time wisely.

"You'll never get it all done in a day so you need to plan at least two days to get to everything," O'Neill smiled. 

Competitors are expected to arrive from across Canada and the U.S. for the plowing competition, and more than 40 entertainers are scheduled to play. 

"We're so excited to finally see everything come together and to have people come out and really enjoy the event and participate," Reanny said. "It's been a labour of love for a lot of us and we're just so excited to share it with everybody."

"We want to share our information about farming and agriculture and rural living, that's the goal," she added. "We are very proud people, we are happy to be involved in this industry and we want to share that with everybody."

"Hopefully we have good weather and we welcome everyone to come out," O'Neill said. 

Adult daily tickets for the International Plowing Match are $25, youth tickets (6-15) are $5, and kids 5 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased online until September 16.