Reader Frank shares a few photos from a recent visit to Holmes County, Ohio. No snow in these shots, but lots of nice views. Frank also passes along two anecdotes demonstrating the friendly community feel of the area. If you’ve ever spent time in Holmes County, home to over 30,000 Amish people, you won’t be surprised: While shopping at Hershberger’s Store outside Berlin, an elderly gentleman explained to…
With December 25th around the corner, it’s the perfect time to look at how Amish observe Christmas. Contributor Rebecca Miller, member of an Ohio Amish church, shares with us five ways her own family celebrates Christ’s birth (the ways Amish people observe the season may vary). How Do The Amish Celebrate Christmas? I have been asked this question numerous times, and as with any other…
It’s been over five years since my Amish business book (Success Made Simple: An Inside Look At Why Amish Businesses Thrive) was released, and it’s neat to still bump into people who’ve read it or at least heard of it 🙂 I recently met someone in the latter group from Portugal, of all places. In a nutshell, I interviewed 60 Amish entrepreneurs and then distilled their wisdom…
Do young Amish men drive motor vehicles? For most non-Amish adolescents, acquiring a license at age 16 or thereabouts–usually followed by a beater of a car–is an assumed rite of passage. For Amish youth–many of whom enjoy freedoms similar to that of non-Amish during their “running around” years–the choice is not so obvious. While it’s safe to say the majority do not, more than a few…
This story at pennlive.com is a couple of weeks old, but since we’ve covered the Amish and exercise before, it’s worth circling back to. Leroy Stoltzfus is a 22-year-old Amish man who did something remarkable–ran a marathon in an impressive 3 hours and 5 minutes–dressed in full Amish garb. I am an amateur runner, and this sounds completely miserable to me. Running long distances is hard…
Most Amish speak a dialect known as Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania Dutch as their primary language. It’s generally not used as a written tongue, though that doesn’t mean it’s not written, in one form or another, from time to time. And so today we have a list of terms for you to guess (or if you know PA Dutch already, this should be pretty easy). Ohio…
News came last week of another financial scandal involving Amish investors as victims. According to the federal lawsuit, Earl D. Miller began recruiting investors in 2008 to join a number of investment vehicles, despite having no experience in fund management. The Goshen, Indiana resident is accused of “misrepresentations that Miller raised at least $3.9 million from at least 70 investors, but repeatedly lied to prospective investors.” According…
As you might know, top Amish scholar Donald Kraybill is retiring (here is a short interview we did with him when the news was announced). If you’ve been interested in the Amish for any length of time, odds are you have read one of Don’s many books on the Amish and other Anabaptist peoples, or appreciated his other work in the area of Amish studies, such as in…
Since 2012 there has been a small community of Amish people in eastern Idaho, not far from the town of Salmon (Lemhi County). This video report takes us to an Amish-owned market owned by the Paul Miller family. Locals seem pleased to have the Amish in town: The bulk of the above video is on the Miller family’s Country Market and the produce, cheese, and…
In our previous installment of An Amish Girl’s Adventures, Rebecca Miller of Holmes County, Ohio shared her family’s vacation to Niagara Falls. Rebecca is back with the story of a trip with friends to Mackinac Island in northern Michigan. As you’ll learn below, something about Mackinac Island made Rebecca and her friends feel right at home. Mackinac Island Tour – Sept. 26-29, 2007 Wednesday We started…