Why don’t they just build buggy lanes wherever Amish live? People often ask just this, especially when there is a bad buggy accident in the news. Realistically, it’s an idea constrained both by budgets and practicality. But in some limited cases, areas with larger Amish populations have done just that. And some Amish-heavy areas will be adding buggy lanes in the next several years. So…
One of my favorite stops in Holmes County last month happened while out with my friend Rich Stevick, author of Growing Up Amish: The Rumspringa Years. Rich has lived in Holmes County for several years now. If you know Rich’s warm demeanor you will know how he could be right at home in a place like Holmes County. While out and about visiting some Amish…
Today a grab bag of eight Amish news stories from the past days and weeks. Let’s dive right in. 1. Amish Basketball Fans (Topeka, Indiana)Â – Do Amish follow sports? Some do, particularly youth in some places. Last month I was working on my laptop in a local gas station in Lancaster County, when several Amish teens came in to charge a battery…and as you can…
Ever noticed how Amish women in different places wear different head coverings? A good example is the heart-shaped Lancaster women’s covering, versus the straight-sided, pleated coverings worn by Amish women in the Midwest. Like other items of Amish clothing, there are quite a few different styles of women’s coverings, and some with rather subtle differences. I stopped in at the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center…
A look today at an Amish candle business I visited in Holmes County last month. Sunset View Candles & Such is a little shop sitting a stone’s throw from the Amish owner’s front door, typical of shops like this. There was a buggy parked outside when I pulled up, and one customer in the shop when I dropped in, speaking with who I assumed was…
Do Amish adopt? How does the process work? Do they adopt non-Amish children or just those from their own communities? Amish Cook Gloria Yoder recently shared her family’s story of fostering two children, Jesse and Rayni, in a 2-part series. She gives a window into the adoption process, not yet completed in this case but is moving along well.  Gloria and her husband Daniel…
In a nice story of sacrifice, some Amish and Mennonites recently spent holiday vacation time helping victims of an April 2018 tornado. About 200 homes and businesses were damaged last spring by a 115-mph-wind tornado in the area of Meridian, Mississippi. The volunteers are working through the Mennonite Disaster Service organization (MDS). You can see Amish men in this photo doing what looks like cleanup…
You might recall this image from the 5 Mystery Photos post: I explained in the follow-up that this unusual buggy was from the settlement at Enon Valley, Pennsylvania. I had been wanting to visit this settlement for some time and had a chance to do so in early December, but due to time constraints, weather and darkness it wasn’t quite what I had hoped it…
So another year wraps up. I hope yours was a blessed one. As the year winds down, the tradition here is to look back at favorite posts of the previous 12 months. I hope you enjoy these if you missed them the first time around. Wishing you and yours a fantastic 2019, and thanks to everyone who visited, commented, and shared what we do here…
What does it take to feed 1,000 wedding guests? Lovina Eicher shares just that in her recent column: Neighbor Laura and I were head cooks, so our job was to make sure we had all the ingredients there to feed about 1,000 people. Six hundred pounds of chicken were grilled by Menno’s uncle. They started at 3:30 a.m. Four hundred pounds of potatoes were bought….