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 across the state, is now being enforced by a number…
Here’s another interesting YouTube comment (which turns out to be a good source of what people are thinking about the Amish). A commenter recently wrote “Amish = How can we make our lives as hard as possible and still survive?” While there might be some Amish who find a virtue of sorts in living very plainly, for many Amish, they appreciate comfort and try to…
So if you’re not into “social media drama”, just skip this post. I don’t plan to make a habit of covering things from Facebook, but I need to address this here. You might remember a post I did in August about Eddie Swartzentruber’s TikTok channel (“Swartzentruber Amish-Raised Man Shares The Bad Sides Of His Amish Life“). Eddie responded on Facebook, making some false claims about…
Very sad story from central PA, via the Altoona Mirror: Three members of an Amish family died in a farming accident Wednesday morning. Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers said Andrew Beiler, 47, and his two sons ages 14 and 19 died from asphyxiation after they were trapped inside a silo. The buildup in gases inside the silo caused their deaths, which have been ruled accidental….
Good news for one of the country’s most widely-covered Amish stores, in the little Amish community at Unity, Maine. Back in January, the Amish Community Market & Bakery burned down in a rapidly-moving fire which likely started in a stove or chimney. Reflecting its popularity, in the aftermath of the fire owner Caleb Stoll received many donations and offers to help from non-Amish people who…
“Why are the Amish using plastic packaging? I am so disappointed.” That 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…
This is a neat story from earlier in the summer I didn’t get around to posting. An Amish couple in Somerset County, PA, agreed to be interviewed and photographed for a story on purple martins. These are the birds every Amish farmer wants to have around. They eat pesky insects, lots of them, and are valued for that. Purple martin houses are common on Amish…
In a new column by Amish Cook columnist Gloria Yoder, she recalls some painful “firsts” she has lately gone through without her husband Daniel, who died tragically in a logging accident in April. I found this column particularly moving…for anyone who has lost a close loved one you’ll probably recognize the sentiment here. An excerpt: Those who have bid farewell to life on earth with…
Some Amish have a neat thing they do when they need to move a structure like a pole barn. They marshall the community’s arms and legs and, deploying a bit of sweat and maybe a few tears, they simply pick up the structure in unison and carry it to wherever it needs to be. We’ve seen this in video versions on several occasions. Now, columnist…
The Post Bulletin has a story on a man named Eddie Swartzentruber, who has been providing the perspective of someone who left a strict Swartzentruber Amish community. He’s using social media to share his former life and answer questions about the Amish on the TikTok platform. I find the article of interest in that it does give a look at Amish life from one person’s…