Preparation for the 2018 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM) is progressing well in Chatham-Kent.
A report will be presented at Monday night's council meeting with a third update of the 2018 IPM, which will be hosted in Pain Court from September 18-22.
2018 IPM Co-Chair Leon Leclair says the progress ahead of the event has been fantastic.
"Recently, we spent two days meeting with the chairs of the various committees -- we have up to 60," he says. "We spent a day and a half to two days one-on-one to make sure the progress was as expected."
Leclair says the tented city is coming along quite nicely, too, and is constantly changing.
"Every week we have to tweak it a little bit, because there's another area where somebody needs a few extra feet for their display," he says.
Leclair says he is very impressed with how well everyone is working together.
"We have hiccups. Every day there's something that needs to be addressed and helped, but when you have 700-800 volunteers all working for a like goal... sometimes it's a struggle to get them all working together, but all in all, I'm very pleased," he says.
Leclair says the hard work is worth it.
"It's been a chore but it's also been a great experience," says Leclair. "It takes a lot of time, but I'm just so proud and humbled by the amount of people that want to get involved."
He says once a month an all-chairs meeting is organized, in which everyone gives a report on their progress. He says the next one is being held on Tuesday at the Dresden arena.
According to the report that is coming to council, the municipal portion of the event is right on track.
The Infrastructure and Engineering Services team have been mostly focusing on water connections, completing the Faubert Drain temporary culvert, construction of the boardwalk for the Showcase Tent, and coordinating boundaries for the land. Soon the department will turn their focus to a traffic management plan, including emergency routes and a contingency plan.
The Public Health Unit is working to identify potential health hazards associated with large gatherings and making sure it is prepared to address them. Staff met with the Ontario Plowmen’s Association and spoke at an IPM all-chairs meeting to discuss health requirements.
The Public Utilities Commission team has reviewed the site layout and provided input on the water system. The PUC has also provided a water service connection for the IPM site from the municipal water system on Maple Line.
The Customer Service and Finance teams have set-up event ticket sales service at municipal centres in Blenheim, Bothwell, Chatham, Dresden, Ridgetown, Thamesville, Tilbury, Wallaceburg and Wheatley.
The Showcase Tent team is firming up plans to display the many unique opportunities of Chatham-Kent. The team says most of the creative work and some of the implementation work has been completed.
The inside of the tent will feature four quadrants that reflect the themes of Chatham-Kent’s water, culture, outdoors, and food offerings. Each quadrant will have a video screen to provide a virtual experience of Chatham-Kent attractions to the IPM visitor.
The water quadrant will include an indoor beach installation with videos of local beaches and angling experiences.
The culture quadrant will have an art installation that IPM visitors can interact with. Visitors will also enjoy local musical talent, cultural dances, dramatic readings, and videos from local theaters.
The outdoor quadrant will take the IPM visitor on a virtual tour of local trails, golf adventures, and rare southern birds.
The food quadrant will feature samplings of local products prepared by Chatham-Kent chefs.
On June 14, administration will be hosting a“100 Days until the 2018 International Plowing Match & Rural Expo” rally.
