Several years ago we hosted a giveaway for the book Northkill, based on the Jacob Hochstetler massacre, famous in Amish lore. Authors Bob Hostetler and J.M. Hochstetler have returned with the conclusion to that story, The Return. I hope you enjoy today’s interview with Bob and Joan, in which they explain why this story is important to Amish and Mennonites, the historical basis of The Return, and…
On my recent trip to the Amish community in Lancaster County, I had a chance to visit with Freida Stoltzfus, creator and editor of a new publication called Rainbows and Sunshine. Today I’ll share a bit about that visit, some words from Freida, and then you’ll have a chance to enter to win a year’s subscription (to enter, simply leave a comment on this post)….
A fun culinary event enjoyed by Amish youth at Belle Center, Ohio, is the “mystery supper”. Participants receive a menu of creatively-named items to riddle through, and have a time limit in which to make their picks for each of three courses. Guess poorly, and you can end up with, for example, only utensils and water for one of your courses. A few years ago, Belle Center…
I arrived Thursday evening in Lancaster County, will be staying with Amish friends here for the next several days. I was out and about yesterday and snapped a few photos to share. It was a brisk, beautiful morning. Below are a few of the things I saw. I meant to post this for you yesterday, but let’s just say the internet is limited around here…
The Lancaster County Amish traditionally have their weddings in the autumn, following the busy season of farm work. This tradition has generally held even as it has changed in other communities (Amish in Holmes County, for instance, hold weddings in other months, including May and June). But the Amish in Lancaster County do adapt to changing needs. Jennifer Kopf shares the idea behind a recent innovation…
It’s hard to believe that yesterday was the ten-year anniversary of the Nickel Mines school shootings. On the morning of October 2nd, 2006, local milk truck driver Charles Roberts IV entered the West Nickel Mines School, barricaded the doors, and proceeded to shoot ten Amish schoolgirls, killing five of them. At the time, the rapid Amish response of forgiveness of the shooter resonated around the…
Amish in Illinois have made news by moving the oldest-known Amish home in the state, using the power of eight mighty Belgian horses. Belgians are a common breed used by Amish for farm work. This past Tuesday morning they found themselves with the uncommon task of transporting a 150-year-old farm home–though it turns out they only did a small part of the job: A team…
Tired of presidential election coverage? Well that makes two of us. But I feel the Amish vote topic, which we touched on in the spring, is worth revisiting for a couple of reasons. Back in May we shared news of a Political Action Committee targeting Amish voters (“Amish PAC”) in Ohio and Pennsylvania, two key swing states, to generate votes for Donald Trump. The Amish…
Ever heard of Horse Progress Days? It is an annual event heavily attended by Amish (we’ve covered a previous edition in Michigan here and here). Here to explain more is David Arment (author of all photos below), with a look at this year’s event, held in northern Indiana. Horse Progress Days was held July 1st and 2nd at the MEC (Michiana Event Center) North of…
How far would you go to discover your origin? A recent AP story tells the fascinating and moving tale of Diane Bell, who was abandoned as a three-month-old on an Amish farmhouse porch: Forty years ago, a widowed Amish woman and her daughter watched from their window late one night as someone in dark clothing walked up to their farmhouse near Gordonville, Lancaster County, and left…