From the Bangor Daily News: Despite a very divided vote by the legislature’s IFW Committee, the state’s Amish hunters won the right to wear red instead of orange while deer hunting in Maine. LD 426 was sponsored by Representative McCrea of Fort Fairfield, who was joined at the hearing by several young Amish men who testified that their religion forbid them from wearing orange because it…
In the market for a nice handmade basket? It you’re visiting a Swartzentruber Amish community, there’s a good chance you’ll find one. Basket businesses are pretty common among this very plain Amish group. For instance you’ll find one listed among this sample of companies from Ethridge, TN (home to a sizeable Swartzentruber settlement) or some more visual evidence among these photos from the same community. As you…
Three hundred people have been immunized following an outbreak of whooping cough in an Amish community in Missouri. The community in question is at Seymour in Webster County. This is the largest Amish settlement in the state, with a population of 1500-plus. As of yesterday there were 15 confirmed cases with 2 babies hospitalized. Whooping cough and measles are diseases which have shown up in Amish communities in recent…
From the Bowling Green Daily News (Kentucky): RUSSELLVILLE – A trial date has been set for 13 members of Auburn’s Amish community who have been cited for violating a local ordinance that requires them to clean up after their horses. Authorities have accused the Amish defendants of running afoul of Auburn’s ordinance setting forth the need for large animals traveling within the city limits to…
Over the weekend, Lancaster Online published an interesting article on the Amish and Old Order Mennonite schools of Lancaster County. The situation here is unlike most other Amish communities, in that some schools have both Amish and Mennonite students. Lancaster County has a large Old Order Mennonite presence, centered in the northern half of the county. So in those areas, you’ll find mixed classrooms of students and may have a Mennonite or an…
Here’s a nice video giving a little look into maple syrup production, plus a visit to Amish baker Emma Miller’s bakery for a baking demo and interview. Host Robin Benzle comes to us from Burton, Ohio, which is in the Geauga County Amish settlement in northeastern Ohio. Last week we had a look at the goods on display in Miller’s Bakery in Holmes County, Ohio….
An Amish bishop in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania is in the news for failing to report sexual abuse of two children in his church by another church member. From Lancaster Online: An Amish bishop in Dauphin County is facing charges after being accused of failing to report two cases of alleged sexual abuse of children. Christ M. Stoltzfus, 69, is charged with two misdemeanor counts of…
Another nice video from Lavonne DeBois of Amish Heartland Tours. In this 3+ minute clip you get a little stroll around Amish-owned Miller’s Bakery, located near Charm, Ohio. Goodies you’ll find at Miller’s include cookies, pies, jams, noodles, pinwheels, and a nice selection of cheese tarts. The oddest item to me are the raisin-filled cookies. Never seen that one before and not sure it would be…
You read that right – an Amish smoking study. Many are surprised to learn that some Amish people smoke. A certain segment of Amish (notably Lancaster County) produces tobacco as a cash crop. Smoking is considered a part of tradition in some Amish communities. And as in any population you’re going to find some smokers just as you do drinkers, drug users, Boston Creme donut…
School auctions happen often across Amish America. Some of them have become rather well-known – happening in places like Jamesport, MO, Beeville, TX, Clarita, OK, and Rexford, MT. Today we have a look at an ad from an upcoming event at Pawnee City, Nebraska. There are some neat details here which show you what you can expect to find at an auction. The proceeds from these events help fund…