Mapleton Township’s Tate Driscoll, 17, was crowned the 2018-19 Princess of the Furrow during the 2018 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM), held Sept. 18 to 22 in Pain Court (Chatham-Kent).
“I’m really excited for the year ahead, to represent not only Wellington but the Ontario Plowmen’s Association as well,” said the Grade 12 student at Norwell District Secondary School, moments after being crowned on Saturday. “I’ve grown up with our Plowmen’s Association, so it was the next step to be the Princess of the Furrow for Wellington.”
Tate lives between Drayton and Moorefield, in Mapleton Township.
Princess of the Furrow contestants, each selected to represent their region of the province, were evaluated by a panel of three judges. Points were assigned based on there their performance during an interview with judges and a speech delivered on the Ontario Mutuals Stage in front of a crowd of IPM visitors. The top five contestants are then asked to respond to an impromptu question to help determine a winner.
“She’s friendly, she’s outgoing and she knows her stuff – and always willing to learn. I think she’ll do a great job,” said Emma Butler of Tate. Butler is a member of the Queen of the Furrow committee, which oversees the Princess of the Furrow program.
“I thought she handled it with class and grace,” she said. “They’re so poised and they’re so put together, they’re well spoken. They’re just such good representatives of their home towns and their counties.”
As Ontario Princess of the Furrow, Tate will act as an ambassador for Ontario agriculture, promoting the IPM and Ontario Plowmen’s Association at events throughout the year.
The Princess of the Furrow program is designed to act as a stepping stone for the Queen of the Furrow program, allowing the Queen to act as a mentor to the Princess and, hopefully, spark an interest in competing for the Queen of the Furrow title.
Princess contestants are between the ages of 12 and 17.
Tate will serve as Ontario Princess of the Furrow until the 2019 IPM, which will take place in West Nipissing Sept. 17-21.
The IPM is organized by the Ontario Plowmen’s Association (OPA), in conjunction with a local committee. It is held in a different community every year, offering five days of competitions, live entertainment, hundreds of vendors and exhibitors, children’s activities, antique and historical displays, and much more.
Source : Plowingmatch