Organizers of the 2018 International Plowing Match are one step closer to next year’s massive event.

Seven landowners representing five area farm families are contributing land to the IPM.
Seven landowners representing five area farm families are contributing land to the IPM.

A giant billboard has been unveiled in Pain Court, which committee co-chair Leon LeClair says marks the site of the tented city.

“There will be hundreds of vendors selling their wares, a beer tent, an events tent with music at night, everybody and everything will be here,” LeClair says. “We’ll have streets that are named and everything else, it’s quite complex.”

As many as 100,000 people are expected to attend the September, 2018 event.

“We have plans to showcase Chatham-Kent, not just the Plowing Match, we’d like to do other functions to involve the whole community,” LeClair says. “It’s not going to be just about Pain Court, not just Chatham, but we want the Dresdens, the Ridgetowns, the Blenheims, the waterfronts, we’re trying to make sure they’re all involved too.”

The land was donated by seven area farmers, each of whom receive a small stipend in return which LeClair says essentially covers the cost of their taxes while the land is being used.