I had a blast doing this Q & A with my friend Ben while in Lancaster County last month. We recorded this while driving to a local horse auction. Ben explains the appeal of Amish auctions and answers some of my questions. He also shares a funny anecdote and we have some laughs. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did recording it. Runtime: 6:15.
Similar Posts
We’ve “visited” Amish stores selling wooden toys before – recently the Tinker Toy Shop (Ohio), and also the Raber Family Toy Shop (New York). Crafting simple toys is a niche within woodworking, perhaps the most popular Amish industry. Today’s video shows an Amishman in Shipshewana, Indiana, demonstrating the art of woodturning as he creates that classic toy of yesteryear–a wooden top. It’s an eleven minute…
A month ago we looked at the first Amish settlement in Canada – that of Milverton, Ontario. In the post I referenced a quote from Fred Lichti, a Mennonite pastor who lives in nearby Elmira. Fred had this to say in a talk on the community: These Amish in the Milverton area have continued to worship in homes on Sunday mornings. They had little growth…
This was a neat idea for an article. Denise Fedorow of the Goshen News interviewed three Amish bicycle shop owners in the Nappanee, Indiana community to get their insights on what types of bicycles appeal to their Amish customers. Many Amish in this community and others use bicycles as a form of transportation (for more on the Amish bicycles vs. scooters question, see here). The…
Following our look at the Buchanan County, Iowa Amish business map, reader Denise Joyal shares her own visit to the community, including photos and more info on some of the stores there. On the map are listed nearly 50 businesses. Denise informs us below that the map doesn’t quite have all the shops there. I liked Denise’s photos of the business cards, and two signs…
Last month I took a trip to King’s Kountry Store in Halifax County, Virginia. This store has been featured here a couple of times before, most recently in this 68-photo look inside the store dating to 2019. It was nice to catch up with Benny Ray and Mary Ann King, the couple who own the store. They let me film inside to give you a…
Summer is officially history, but Amish auctions plow on into October. Below you’ll find listings for quilt and craft sales, consignment auctions, a Haiti sale, a downsizing auction, and a fire company mud sale, perhaps the last of the year. States include Illinois, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Delaware, Iowa, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee. We’ve also got some non-auction events listed – fire company breakfasts, a book signing, and the…
6 Comments
I Love Auctions
I’ve been to Mel’s more than few dozen times. The horse auctions are mostly Amish but the others are as diverse as the United Nations. Buyers are there suppling slaughter houses/meat packers from all over the Mid Atlantic States.
Horses?
Thanks for the informative video on buggy and draft horses. I notice that an Amishman will hook up his horse to a buggy to run an errand like going to the bank. This seems to be a lot of work when he could simply climb on a horse and ride, like a cowboy, to the bank. Why do they not ride a horse instead of using a buggy when there is only one person and nothing to carry?
Thanks!
Good question, I covered it in greater depth in a couple posts but it’s just not customary for adults, at least part of the explanation may have to do with horseback riding bordering on a sporting-type activity. That said you do see Amish on horseback from time to time. Don Burke has a photo of an Amishman in Michigan on horseback, I might have it up around here somewhere.
https://amishamerica.com/do-amish-ride-horseback/
https://amishamerica.com/do-amish-ride-horses/
Familiar voice?
I love the friendly interaction between Englischers and Amish folks, both real life like you with Ben and in Amish fiction. This very friendly and informative voice of your friend Ben sounds just like that of Donald Kraybill’s friend Ben in his podcast What I Learned from the Amish. He seems like someone it would be fun to learn from.
Very interesting
Thank you for this interesting video! Please thank Ben for us. I especially enjoyed his comment about not enjoying auctions himself, but going because his son was a bid spotter. Showing support for a child is a wonderful thing.
Glad you liked it, I will pass on the thanks. Ben always shoots straight and gives his true opinion on things which I appreciate!