Sam Mullet, leader of the Bergholz, Ohio group infamous for hair and beard-cutting attacks on Amish, made news again recently when he asked for early release due to alleged mistakes made by his attorney. Mullet lost his attempt for release Wednesday: An attorney for 72-year-old Samuel Mullet Sr. argues that Mullet’s previous lawyer made mistakes. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster disagreed Wednesday, concluding that those…
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….
Don Burke is back with a visit to another Midwestern Amish community, that of West Plains, Missouri (Howell County). Don discovered several surprising things in this small and relatively young settlement, two of them having to do with the local Amish transportation. I hope you enjoy Don’s account and photos below. In the autumn of 2016 my wife and I decided to take a couple…
Samuel Girod was sentenced last summer to 6 years in prison for various charges relating to the manufacture and sale of herbal products, including a salve which the Kentucky Amish farmer claimed could be used to treat cancer, among other ailments. Girod was convicted for charges including “conspiring to impede the FDA; failing to register his facility with the agency; threatening a witness to try to…
Another of my business stops in Lancaster County was BB’s Grocery Outlet. This is a “plain chain”, with four five locations throughout southeastern PA. BB’s actually has a website which gives you the background: BB’s Grocery Outlet is a discount grocery chain that was started in 1986 on an Amish Farm in Lancaster County, PA. It began with the simple idea of providing quality groceries…
Of all the different kinds of Amish businesses, places selling food and books are two of my favorites (with the classic variety store also in the mix – see 5 Amish Businesses You Should Visit). Recently while in Lancaster County I dropped by two spots that some of you might know – BB’s Grocery Outlet, and Gordonville Book Store. I’m sharing some photos from both…
An Amish teen in the New Wilmington, PA community has been charged with a DUI after registering a 0.47 blood alcohol level. His buggy got into a fender-bender with an SUV, leading to the charges. According to the report in New Castle News, the young man in question “faces one count each of driving under the influence, purchase of alcohol by a minor, a stop…
The St. Ignatius, Montana Amish community is far enough off the beaten path that I’d guess most of us will not make it there. But if you do, one place to visit is the Amish-run Mission General Store, run by Ruth Bontrager and her husband. From the Daily Inter Lake: Located at the center of a 125-member Amish community outside of St. Ignatius, the Mission…
Forty life-sized wax Amish figures, once residents of the Lancaster County Wax Museum, have been put up for sale, as reported at philly.com. They include adult and child figures, as well as a dog. The general impression is that these are some pretty unsettling effigies: Dana DiCicco, who’s selling them, said they didn’t seem “creepy at all” when she was a kid in Pennsylvania Dutch…
Atlas Obscura gives us a brief background of this dish, served by Amish in Pennsylvania at funerals: Death and raisins share one essential feature: neither belongs to any one season. Eighteenth-century Amish and old-order Mennonites of Pennsylvania were no strangers to the harsh realities of sudden loss, but amidst tragedy, raisins were there. The preserved grapes were a pantry staple—shelf-stable and ready-to-eat throughout the year….