How to prep food for 300+ wedding guests? The Amish, accustomed to frequent weddings with many attendees, have figured out a way to make the whole affair easier and more efficient. Enter the wedding wagon: For those who don’t know what a wedding wagon is, it is like an RV with a ramp added on, with six or seven propane gas stoves and ovens in…
With the air crisp and the calendar about to leave October behind, I thought it would be a nice time to look back at fall-related posts we’ve featured here over the years. Check out these beautiful photos by Bill Coleman and others, a look at the Amish and Halloween, and more below. I hope you’re enjoying this autumn season – it has been absolutely beautiful…
Several weeks ago we had Don Burke’s visit to the home of the Grabers, an Amish family in Jamesport, Missouri. This got a variety of reactions, including descriptions of the home as “very interesting”; “too modern”; “cluttered…[but] cute and homey.” Readers also noticed the high gloss paint on the ceiling and the simple electronic games on a recliner-side table (view the original post here). These…
Nearly 10 years ago we had a post about corner ball, a traditional game played by Amish and Old Order Mennonites. I had long heard of this game – described in depth by Richard Stevick in Growing Up Amish: The Teenage Years – and had always wanted to see it “live”. Fortunately, I had a chance to do just that on my recent visit to Lancaster…
A neat bit from Jack Brubaker’s “Scribbler” column today at Lancaster Online. Some Amish first responders are using motorized scooters to get to the firehouse faster. Here’s what one looks like: As you may know, Amish are significantly involved in volunteer firefighting and emergency response in Lancaster County. And Lancaster County is one of the more prominent Amish communities where scooters are used rather than bicycles….
Just some photos today from my (ongoing) visit to Lancaster County, PA. We had a gray day or two but the sun poked out yesterday and it was a beautiful morning. I nearly called this post “Spring in Lancaster County”, but with no green on the trees yet it’s more that in-between season between winter and spring, which I am going to take the liberty…
Following the recent post on ice cutting in Amish Iowa, reader Neil Shattuck shares a look at an ice harvest in New York. You may have wondered, how long does the ice last? You’ll find that answer and other details below. The following are Neil’s photos and comments on what we’re seeing: These photos were shot January 18 in the Jasper/Troupsburg, NY community. They are of…
Here’s a neat story of friendship that started when a fifth-grade teacher in Pennsylvania came across a balloon released several days earlier by an Amish girl in Ohio. From triblive.com: A deflated and tattered orange helium balloon landed in the Leechburg backyard of the Young family on April 20 of that same year. “It was not easy to read,” recalls Debbi Young, who was teaching…
Photographer David Marvitz has captured some striking images of Amish doing an important winter chore in Iowa. While many Amish use propane or natural gas-powered refrigerators to keep food cold (see point #4 here), the more traditional Amish use ice houses. This is prime time to collect frozen fuel for these structures, which keep food chilled well into the warmer months. Here’s what those ice blocks…
Reader Steve writes in with a question. I know a lot of you have Amish friends and may have faced this situation: I LOVE your website — I often find myself poring through it in the hope of finding a new or different slant on things. We recently bought a house in Lancaster County (PA) and have become friendly with the Amish family that lives…