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| Mary Ann Pearce - The Corn Queen |
| Every day more people relocate from surrounding cities to this lovely area we call home. Within minutes we can see farm fields, town squares, sparkling blue lakes or first-class resorts, spas and shopping. I’ve lived in Walworth County for 11 y... |
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| Mary Ann Pearce - The Corn Queen |
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| Written by Denise Schultz | |||||||
| Sunday, 10 May 2009 11:55 | |||||||
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Every day more people relocate from surrounding cities to this lovely area we call home. Within minutes we can see farm fields, town squares, sparkling blue lakes or first-class resorts, spas and shopping. I’ve lived in Walworth County for 11 years, and I still appreciate the stunning views and unique communities every single day.  We have seasons of serenity when roads are empty and businesses are quieter than their owners wish they were. And others when the tourists can’t get enough of what we have to offer. I found myself serendipitously reflecting on this in the fall of 2008 at what could appear to be a simple family farm at a symbolic crossroads between villages. On the corner of Highways 67, F and Walworth Road lies one of several Pearce Family farms. This particular farm is owned by Robert and Mary Ann Pearce, and has been since 1965. They’ve raised 5 children here, and are immensely proud of their 6 grandchildren and first great-grandson. They farm over 2,000 acres of land. Bob grew up ‘down the road’ at the farm now owned by his brother Charles, and their sons and grandsons continue the long traditions of farming. For many of us, there may be no sight as meaningful as a farmer working in his fields as the sun rises or sets, and no taste as sweet as a crisp bite of summer’s first sweet corn. Ask the local residents and visitors who watch the corner sign waiting expectantly for it to indicate the produce stand is open for business (late July.) Children run from cars with unbridled glee at the thought of jumping on the hay bales. “We started with a few round bales for the kids about 15 years ago,” Mary Ann reflects. “And now there are over 140 jumping bales out there!” A corn maze was recently added, and as the nights grow colder, the wagons of sweet corn make way for squash, pumpkins gourds, and the guests who spend weekends going out to the field to pick their own pumpkins. The Pearce Farm is an outdoor experience for all ages, from country folk to city slickers, and everyone in between. Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower  Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
 After raising three boys in Milwaukee, it was certainly odd to have my new kindergartener beg me to take him to a farm field to jump on hay after school – but we’ve enjoyed many wonderful hours there. On weekday afternoons local Moms and Grandmas share stories of the day, while on weekends there’s a comical mix of Packers and Bears fans suddenly putting aside their rivalries to play tag and share picnic tables. The pure old fashioned fun is refreshing. The sense of community here is heartwarming. On one weekend in September guests of the ‘Party at Pearce’s’ enjoy over 1,000 ears of delicious free sweet corn!The Pearce’s enjoy sharing their land and harvest with the community and I, for one had to stop and realize how important that is in today’s world. I found myself watching Mary Ann Pearce, the woman at the heart of it all. Like most of our cover women, she had to be convinced to allow us to feature her. This lovely lady who has earned the title of the farm’s matriarch always looks fresh and on top of things, regardless of how busy she is. When I asked her loving husband about this one day he proudly told me “She was a city girl. I saw her at the (Delavan) roller rink and I knew she was the one for me. I got her to come out here and live on the farm!” he shared with a school boy’s grin. For months I had an image of Mary Ann living in downtown Chicago and still laugh at the memory of the day she corrected me explaining that to Bob and in 1955 - her hometown of Elkhorn was considered the city! Mary Ann was very effective on the Walworth County Board of Supervisors from 1992-2002 and has served on the Fontana Library Board since. She’s very interested in local politics and is extremely proud that her son is now on the Walworth Town Board. “Because I’m nosey,” she shares with a wink. She was a 4-H leader when her children were younger, and was well known for her amazing gardens. When I asked her if she really drove the tractor she confirmed with the sassy attitude I adore adding, “I drove the op  en tractor – not the closed ones they have now!” as she reminisced about the first time she bought Bob a radio for the tractor and it was so loud to be heard over the tractor noise that she could hear the radio echoing across the fields through the open windows.Our cover woman may not be working in the fields as much as she once did, but you can bet she knows what’s happening just about everywhere on the farm. One click of a button on her Nextel and her husband, son or grandson will be there. Their love and respect for the Queen of Corn is evident. She’s driven a car with Corn 1 on her license plate for years, and still has a say in the ‘corn chart’ at the core of the farm.“We are slowly handing things down to the boys,” she told me. Then plough deep while sluggards sleep, and you shall have corn to sell and to keep. ~ Benjamin Franklin Then plough deep while sluggards sleep, and you shall have corn to sell and to keep. ~ Benjamin Franklin
So, what’s the long term plan? “Farmers don’t retire, they just ease off…” she says with her beautiful smile. This “city girl” is too smart to predict the future, but I can see in her eyes, she hopes there will be Pearce’s farming this land for generations to come…I do too. | |||||||
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| Last Updated on Sunday, 10 May 2009 12:10 | |||||||
