The committee in charge of next year’s Bruce County Plowing Match & Rural Expo has developed a bench as a part of the memorabilia for the upcoming event.
The benches were designed by students from Sacred Hearth High School, and their shop teacher Dave Metcalfe.
The benches are made of solid wood and will feature a keepsake identification tag.
The tag will reference the IPM as the 50th anniversary of the first Bruce County Plowing Match in 1976.
The chairperson for the IPM, Gord Lang, says that the wooden bench is a wonderful way to acknowledge and support agriculture and the rural way of life.
Orders are currently being accepted, and the benches will be available in time for the IPM & Rural Expo to be held September 22-26, 2026 just outside of Brockton.
The benches will be built by Metcalfe and his students at SHHS.
Shop students at Sacred Heart High School help construct a keepsake bench ahead of the 2026 Bruce County International Plowing Match & Rural Expo (image via Bruce County IPM)
Anyone interested in purchasing a bench can call Joel at 519-881-3480, view one at Walkerton Home Hardware or email benchsponsorship2026IPM@gmail.com
Approximately 120 built so far, with about 64 sold or spoken for.
There are also plans for the Sacred Heart students to build more starting in February, once the first 120 have been sold.