I like to end the year with a look back at some favorite posts of the past 12 months. These were posts with a positive theme, that got a lot of comments, and/or are just personal favorites. Rather than order them by topic as I’ve done before, this year I’ve just listed them in chronological order. Recollecting the year gone by, I want to include…
Among the dozens of victims of last weekend’s spate of tornadoes were four members of an Amish family in Graves County, Kentucky. The Washington Post reports on the aftermath (article behind paywall): MAYFIELD, Ky. — Through the rain and darkness on Friday night, Chris Crawford heard a baby crying. The tobacco farmer had ventured into the howling wind a half-hour earlier to warn his neighbors…
I’ve learned that there is a special exhibition at the High Library at Elizabethtown College, featuring the Amish photos of Dennis Hughes. You may have seen some of his many excellent photos in books such as Amish Enterprise and The Riddle of Amish Culture. The exhibition runs through the end of this week (through December 10), so this could be a nice opportunity if you…
The seventh podcast in Donald Kraybill’s series “What I Learned From The Amish” looks at the concept of choice. Does having more choices make people happier? Or is that just an illusion? Drive or fly? How about some cinnamon roll-flavored coffee creamer at the gas station? Premium insurance package on my new laptop or just the standard (or none at all)? Even if many of…
A month ago came the sad news of the deaths of an Amish mother and father in a Virginia car-buggy accident, leaving behind eight children without parents, and hospitalized with their own injuries. Since that accident, the organizer of one of the fundraisers for the children has given several updates. First, on October 22, Elmer Zook wrote: Thanks to everyone that has donated, the support…
This has been described alternately as a Pennsylvania Dutch couple or an Amish couple. The statue is well-known and has been around for at least 70 years, previously part of the now-defunct “Roadside America” exhibit. Via wfmz.com: HEIDELBERG TWP., Pa. — Less than a year after it left the confines of its longtime home in Berks County, an iconic sculpture is forever scarred. “You don’t…
Podcast #6 in Donald Kraybill’s series “What I Learned From The Amish” covers the idea of “smallness”. Via the show notes: “Professor Kraybill explains why the Amish think bigness ruins things and shows how small-scale life, including small schools, preserve the dignity of individuals.” In the podcast he explains that “smallness” is seen across Amish society – in everything from small egos to small congregations,…
Some years ago I did posts on Amish children & spanking, as well as discipline in general (including in Amish schools), both of which, not unexpectedly, got a lot of comments. It’s a topic which elicits strong responses and I doubt much has changed since then. In her recent column, Amish Cook Gloria Yoder takes up the question of children’s behavior. She shares some ideas…
This is another one of those Amish “novelty” videos that pops up from time to time, like those showing Amish buggy skiing or time-lapse barn-raising. This one is a bit different in that it had a pretty good chance of ending badly. Someone was apparently driving through Lancaster County late at night when a buggy came out of nowhere and entered the roadway in a…
Here’s episode number 5 of Donald Kraybill’s “What I Learned From The Amish” podcast. This week he focuses on “Amish hackers” – Amish who “work around certain church regulations without breaking them”. These workarounds represent a form of progress but still respect church rules. Their hacking “boost[s] efficiency, production, and convenience in certain areas of Amish life.” These are the innovators of Amish society. He…