The beauty of dance

Barbara and Leland Pearsall at home in the house in which Leland was born. He has never lived anywhere else. Nor does he care to.

Leland and Barbara Pearsall celebrate 70 years of marriage

Leland Pearsall knows the secret to dancing all night long. The 92-year-old Leland and his wife, Barbara, 89, have been dancing most Friday and Saturday nights for the past 70 years.

The trick is close your mouth tight,” explains Leland, eager to share his technique, “and just breathe through your nose.” He demonstrates with his eyes closed and a smile on his face.

Barbara and Leland first danced together at the dance halls clustered around what is now Sandbanks Provincial Park. Martins, Palace of the Moon and Lakeshore Lodge.

“There was crowd there every Saturday night,” said Barbara.

Leland had his own car, a ’38 Dodge. But it was wartime and gas and tires were rationed. A night out at the Outlet was an extravagance. The car was often packed by the time it got the dance hall.

So popular were these events that the dance floor was cleared between tunes. Young men would have to pony up 25 cents for three jitney dances. Barbara was Leland’s favourite dance partner. They’ve been dancing ever since.

Both were brought up around music. Barbara’s dad taught her how to dance. Leland’s mother played piano.

“I would lie on the floor, stare up at the ceiling and listen to her play,” recalled Leland.

Not many weekends have gone by since then that Leland and Barbara haven’t been out dancing. They claim it has helped to keep them healthy and close after all this time.

ON THE FARM
Leland and Barbara were married in November 1943,in the parsonage of the United Church in Picton. Verla Whattam served as Barbara’s bridesmaid. Howard Alexander stood up for Leland.

“There was a big picture window in the parsonage,” explained Barbara. “I could see our friends decorate our car while we were saying our vows.”

After honeymooning in Ottawa, the couple returned to the 110-acre farm Leland worked along with his dad on County Road 4 near Tripp Road, just east of the big swamp. The new couple shared the house with Leland’s parents. His parents lived in the east half. Leland and his bride in the west.

But just months after they were married, Leland’s dad died suddenly. He was just 52.

The burden of working the farm and tending the animals now largely fell upon Leland. No shrinking violets, both his mother and Barbara took on more of the load. The following year, Leland bought his first tractor, a Case SO—the O signifiying it had been rigged for orchard or grove duty. He immediately removed the sweeping fenders that had been designed to limit damage to fruit crops, to give him clear access to the belt pulley in order to drive his thresher.

He had been raised with wonderful Percheron horses that could work all week in the field and could be hitched to a cutter on Saturday to take the family to town. But it took time to harness four horses, remove their straps, feed them and do it all over again.

“My dad used to say that you weren’t a farmer unless your horses were ready and working in the field by 7 a.m.,” recalls Leland.

“Now farmers just jump on their tractors and go,” says Pearsall with a pinch of envy. “I was in one of Reynold’s tractors last year—it had air conditioning, radio, power steering and power seats. It had things my ‘38 Dodge didn’t have—like a heater.”

Barbara learned to drive the tractor and even became skilled at engaging the clutch without actually climbing into the seat. In this way she could move the tractor and stone boat forward a few dozen feet and help Leland clear the field of rocks and debris.

FAMILY AND FRIENDS FIRST
Leland and Barb raised two girls—Rilla and Roanne. Both attended grade school at SS#12 just down the road from the Pearsall farm. Leland was the school trustee. It was the same school Leland had attended as a young boy.

Life on the farm was a lot of hard work. But there was also much joy. Their home was always open— to family, neighbours and even strangers.

“We always encouraged the girls to bring their friends around,” explained Barbara. “Just let us know so we could put another potato in the pot.”

Things eased up when Leland decided to sell his milk cows.

“I was 50,” said Leland. “It meant I could work all day long in the field. I didn’t have to stop and milk.”

Now Leland owns a car that speaks to him. It knows if he has run off into the ditch and precisely where he is located. Times have changed.

The thread that runs through the past 70 years is the joy Leland and Barbara share in dancing together. Every other Friday night they travel to the Orange Lodge in Deseronto to dance. They frequently outlast much younger couples.

“I can dance all night long without losing my breath,” said Leland. “I have a secret.”

The couple truly believe their health is attributable to their positive outlook on life.

“Every time you laugh it adds seven minutes to your life,” said Leland. “I believe that.”

Leland and Barbara will welcome friends, family and well wishers at the hall at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Bloomfield on Saturday, November 16 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.