Two years ago, three Amish children lost their lives on a road in southern Michigan, having been rear-ended by a drunk driver while traveling by buggy. The driver has now been sentenced. From WMMT: COLDWATER, MI (WNWN/WTVB) – A Fremont, Indiana man was ordered to serve between 42 months and 15 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections on Wednesday in Branch County Circuit Court…
Amish people in the Holmes County community have stepped in to rebuild the barn of a local non-Amish family, after a fire reduced it to rubble. The fire claimed the barn of the Linda Beachy family, located in the heart of the Holmes County community…and the new barn was up within a week of the fire. From the Wooster Daily Record: Dewey Mishler was one…
To help fund their schools and raise money for other purposes such as medical needs, some Amish communities hold fundraisers. The best-known and perhaps most common type is the benefit auction. There are other events as well – as in this story out of a small Missouri community, where we see a heavily-attended fish fry. Via the McDonald County Press: The Amish community generally holds two…
This story is a neat little slice-of-life in an area with a not-insignificant Amish population. Amish patrons of the Charlotte Community Library in Charlotte, Michigan will now have an easier time of visiting, thanks to new parking space installed for up to three buggies. What actually went in was a hitching post and painted markings designating the area as “Buggy Parking Only”: Some Amish regularly…
Have you ever heard anyone make a claim like “the Amish are against technology”, or that they “shun” modern conveniences? There is even the idea that Amish think technology is “evil”. I recall the video for the silly Weird Al Yankovic song, with Amish feet stomping on a pile of gadgets in one scene. These ideas are out there, and they get perpetuated by television…
A non-Amish young lady has opened a pretzel business after learning the trade from Amish pretzel stand owners. And they are supporting her in her new venture. I found this a neat story (no longer online) for the fact that Serena Zentner wore Amish clothing while working at the Wyomissing (Reading, PA-area) farmer’s market: In December, Zentner was an apprentice at the soft pretzel corner. Wyomissing PA…
This is a neat story via kpcnews.com which demonstrates that not all Amish attend the classic one-room schoolhouses. In the larger settlements in particular, like Holmes County and northern Indiana, local public schools have a significant Amish makeup. This article reports on the graduation day at Westview School Corporation, which is located in the little hamlet of Emma in LaGrange County: EMMA — In a…
Last year, a PA State Deputy saved a 3-year-old Amish girl in a runaway buggy. Here’s another feel-good story – also involving law enforcement, Amish, and a speeding vehicle. Deputy Travis Goodwin of the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office made a traffic stop to remember Friday. From Fox8 Cleveland: “There is no such thing as a routine traffic stop, that’s for sure,” Goodwin said with a…
Last week brought the tragic news of a 4-year-old girl killed crossing the road while walking between events on an Amish wedding day. Amish Kitchen columnist Lovina Eicher has roots in the Adams County, Indiana Amish settlement where this happened, and the family involved are relatives on her husband’s side. In her latest column, Lovina gives more details on the incident. Little Barbara Graber was…
Tragic story from the Adams County, Indiana community: Master Trooper Kurt Jack’s preliminary investigation reports that the girl, identified as four-year-old Barbara JC Graber of Berne, and two other Amish children were running across U.S. 27 and crossed into the path of a southbound Buick passenger car. The Buick, driven by Wayne Foust, 82, of Berne, hit and critically injured Barbara. The other two children…