Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there. You know when I manage to pause and think for a bit, I usually find there is a lot to be thankful for. I found Gloria Yoder’s words in her previous column inspiring on that matter. How do the Amish celebrate Thanksgiving? I’m reposting below the video I made […]

Continue Reading Happy Thanksgiving – How the Amish Celebrate It

In this video I share five reasons people either a) decide not to join the Amish (that is, decide not to be baptized), or b) leave the Amish church after joining. I call it “leaving” in either case (and explain that at the beginning), even though the consequences are different. Not everyone who is born […]

Continue Reading 5 Reasons People Leave the Amish

With an eye to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, Amish Cook Gloria Yoder devotes this week’s column to the idea of giving thanks. An excerpt: No human being (or at least not me) is naturally filled with thankfulness. There’s a person I know who has gone through more pain than any human could ever tell and […]

Continue Reading Amish Cook: Giving Thanks

A request to open a liquor store in the middle of Shipshewana, Indiana, the best-known town in the country’s third-largest Amish community, was rejected Thursday at a meeting of the LaGrange County Alcohol Beverage Commission. From kpcnews.com: ABC meetings are typically somewhat quiet and last in general only a few minutes, but Thursday’s meeting lasted […]

Continue Reading Residents Speak Out: No Liquor Store In Shipshewana

According to the most recent figures, the community in Adams County, Indiana, centered around the town of Berne, remains the country’s fifth-largest, with over 11,000 Amish. This is really a sprawling community spread out across the wide expanses of flat Indiana farmland. I have visited here several times over the years, but don’t know it nearly […]

Continue Reading 10 Views From the Berne, Indiana Amish Community

An Amish community was founded at Rector, Arkansas back in 2009. Though it managed to attract a number of families (including a minister), it never grew very large, and eventually went extinct about five years later. Despite their rapid growth and many new communities being founded yearly, this happens to some Amish settlements – for […]

Continue Reading Inside An Abandoned Amish School

Some very nice news came in since the Christy Otto book giveaway post went up. A reader who wishes to remain anonymous has very generously chosen to donate copies of one of Christy Otto’s books of artwork to the first 50 people who left comments on the previous Q&A post. Call it an early Christmas […]

Continue Reading Christy Otto Giveaway Surprise: First 50 Commenters On Previous Post Get A Book (Thanks to an Anonymous Reader)

This happened in the Geauga County Amish settlement, which is notorious for its wild youth and parties. The boy who lost his life early Sunday morning was 17-year-old Mark Slabaugh. It is described as an “Amish party” attended by around 200 people in this video report by WFMJ. Though he’s not identified as such anywhere […]

Continue Reading Teen Struck By Car, Killed At “Amish Party” (Geauga County)

Nine more Amish people in Ashland County, including two women, have been cited following citations for violating Ohio’s new flashing buggy light law. The nine pleaded “no contest” on Tuesday. Prison is already being discussed. From ashlandsource.com: Judge Good said he understands the argument. But he had a question for Mahlon J. Swartzentruber, who confirmed […]

Continue Reading Judge Discusses Prison For Amish After New Citations; Letter from Amishman Harvey Hostetler

I run through my five favorite Amish sweet treats in this video. I am calling them “desserts” in the post title, but I guess one or two of them might not be technically desserts, though it’s arguable 🙂 I also share two that I’m not so fond of. What are your favorite Amish desserts, baked […]

Continue Reading My Five Favorite Amish Desserts (Video)

Disturbing story from Northwest Pennsylvania. Based on the description of where it happened, I would guess this is the Spartansburg community in Crawford County. This report is from the Meadville Tribune: ROME TOWNSHIP — Pennsylvania State Police at Corry want the public’s help in finding two men involved in pointing a pistol at a teenage […]

Continue Reading Men Point Pistol At Amish Girl; Now Sought By Police (Northwest PA)

Christy Otto is an Amishman living in the LaGrange-Elkhart County settlement in northern Indiana. He is known for his artwork. Being an artist and Amish is not the most common combination, but there are more and more people who can describe themselves that way. Christy has become quite well-known in Amish circles for his drawings […]

Continue Reading Q & A with Amish Artist Christy Otto (Book Giveaway)

There’s nothing surprising about this. Well, maybe it is surprising to Representatives Scott Wiggam and Darrell Kick, creators of the new law requiring flashing lights on all horse-drawn vehicles in the state of Ohio. But if they had bothered to actually dig deep into this issue regarding the group it would predictably most effect (Swartzentruber […]

Continue Reading As Expected: Amish Cited For Buggy Light Violations, Refuse To Pay Fines

In this video I explain why Amish don’t want – or maybe the better word is “need” – outsiders to join them. The Amish are not a group which seeks converts. That said, some churches are more seeker-friendly. For anyone considering joining the Amish, it’s always good to know what you are getting into. Most […]

Continue Reading 3 Reasons Why Amish Don’t Want You To Join Them

The new Ohio law requiring flashing yellow lights on horse-drawn vehicles came into effect in September. And as predicted here months (and years) back, some Amish in the state are not complying. From Fox 8: ASHLAND, Ohio (WJW) – A new law that makes flashing yellow lights mandatory on Amish buggies, and other horse-drawn vehicles […]

Continue Reading Surprise: Some Amish Ignoring Ohio Buggy Light Law

The above is a comment someone left on the recent video on the Amish popcorn shop. Lot of plastic packaging in that shop, like in any Amish-owned store that sells food (or other products for that matter). I find this expression of disapproval interesting for a few reasons. I think it reveals a few possible […]

Continue Reading “Why are the Amish using plastic packaging? I am so disappointed.”