Lily Van Dieten strikes gold on first attempt with Plowing Match Princess crown

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

At this year’s Huron County Plowing Match, first-time participant Lily Van Dieten was crowned the Huron County Princess, rising above the field of four competitors to wear the crown and sash for the next year.

 

Van Dieten was joined on the stage by Sarah Van Nes, Amelia Terpstra and Leigha Wynja and was crowned by outgoing Princess Lillian Beyersbergen-Oakes. She called the audience to attention at Junior Day at the match by shouting “Moo!”, signalling the start of her speech on the world of dairy farming and the role she’s played in her family’s dairy operation.

 

Lily says she’s always been keen to educate people about the dairy business and that students from her school would attend their dairy farm every year for an educational field trip. She said that in recent years she has taken over the task of explaining all of the dairy grades and breaking down how the family raises its calves at the farm.

 

She decided to get involved after Maranda Klaver - the former Huron Princess, Queen of the Furrow and provincial Queen of the Furrow who now runs the local Princess competition - approached her mother, Jenn, asking if Lily might be interested in putting her name forward. This came after Van Dieten competed to be the Princess of the Seaforth Fall Fair (a program the fair runs for younger participants alongside the traditional ambassador competition) the previous fall. That, she said, helped give her the confidence and provide the experience that made her think seriously about taking the Huron County Plowing Match plunge.
She said that being part of the fall fair and that competition specifically helped prepare her for the plowing match when it came to being on stage and delivering a speech to those in attendance. 

 

As for the Huron County Plowing Match, Van Dieten said the experience was a great one. She made a lot of new friends that day in her fellow Princess contestants and she enjoyed the experience of being part of the match. She said that she wasn’t nervous once she was on stage and ready to deliver her speech to the judges and everyone else who was in attendance because she had prepared for it so extensively. She said that her mother and the rest of her family had likely seen her perform her speech in excess of 20 times, so she thanked them for not only their support, but their patience with her as well.

 

Jenn said that she and the rest of the family were happy to help out Lily and that it was true that she had performed it for them a number of times, but, to that point, she said it was interesting to watch her daughter grow more comfortable with it and find the perfect delivery along the way after rehearsing it so many times.

 

Jenn said she was so proud to see her daughter put herself out there in the way that she did. However, she added that Lily is no stranger to this kind of community involvement as an experienced public speaker who has performed speeches through school and church, in addition to her extensive work with local 4-H groups as well.

 

Lily felt good about her speech, but she admits that she was surprised when her name was called and she realized that she had won the competition. What comes next now will be fun for her and the new Queen of the Furrow, Emma Robinson, who was crowned the following day at the gala dinner and awards ceremony.

 

Now, all Lily can do is look ahead and she says she’s excited about what’s next, including fall fairs, Santa Claus parades and more. But, what really has her excited is attending this month’s International Plowing Match (IPM) in Bruce County.

 

She said she had never been to an IPM before, though, Jenn clarifies that she was at the 2017 IPM in Walton, but was likely too young to remember it. However, to be part of this year’s IPM is a special circle on her calendar this fall.