The Amish woman you see in the above Instagram screen-grab is not real. But you’d be forgiven for thinking that she is. That’s how effective AI video-generation has gotten in a relatively fast time. Some profitable businesses have been created around AI personas. “Melanskia” is one of them. An article in the New York Times sheds some light on who is behind Melanskia. From the…
I had a chance to stop in at a new (for me at least) Amish cheese business in Virginia recently. New Sunrise Dairy is located in the Charlotte County, VA community – the state’s largest Amish settlement – and got its start about three years ago. I had just visited this community last year, and even drove down the road it’s on – but missed…
Since 2012, there has been a small Amish community in Lemhi County, Idaho – one of the westernmost Amish locations, and the Gem State’s only Amish presence. This community has perhaps been best known by its Baker Country Market, owned and run by the Paul Miller family. The market has gotten media attention on several occasions, and for over a decade has been a popular…
That little beige building in the photo below is West View Acres. It’s a charming Amish-run farm stand located in Springs, Pennsylvania. This is in the venerable Somerset County Amish community. It’s the country’s second-oldest, where the Amish have lived for over 250 years. And on my recent visit here, I was reminded how the Amish retail experience can be a throwback to another time….
Hershberger’s Farm and Bakery is one of the best-known – and if you ask me, best – bakeries in the Holmes County, Ohio Amish community. Now, have I been to every last one? No, definitely not. But Hershberger’s has a lot going for it: Big selection of quality, tasty things (not only baked goods, but canned goods, produce, bulk items, cheese and more) A signature…
Quick note from Erik: as you will see by the author attribution, this post is by Don Burke. Don has been contributing posts and photos for over ten years now, and I’m happy to say you’ll now be able to find Don’s past posts collected here. Look for more from Don in the coming days and weeks – he has some interesting ones coming up,…
Pocahontas County, West Virginia is home to a rather small Amish community of just a few dozen people. The Amish arrived here in 2023, and for the past two years have been running a market store that sounds like it has become quite popular in the area. Attesting to that, one patron writes: What a local treasure! This store has everything, from bulk dry goods…
The sign you see here welcomes you to Peachey’s Country Store, a place definitely worth stopping if you find yourself in the Somerset County, Pennsylvania Amish community. I had this spot in mind for a re-visit ever since I was here in 2015, and was happy – though not surprised – to see it was still in business when I visited the community earlier this…
A popular Amish-backed bank has recently opened its eighth location, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Bank of Bird-in-Hand was founded in 2013 and has proven an unmitigated success story for its customers in the southeastern Pennsylvania region. The bank has made news often in the past – including for its unusual means of reaching its customers – providing a “Gelt Bus” mobile bank to make…
This story comes out of the Amish community in Williamsburg, Indiana. Fortunately no one was hurt, but as you can see by the photo the greenhouse took significant damage. Aerial technology came into play to help firefighters knock out the blaze. More on that from the Richmond Palladium-Item: WILLIAMSBURG, IN — No injuries were reported after a fire damaged Country Side Amish Greenhouse on the…