A nice feel-good story out of northwestern Minnesota: GLYNDON, Minn. — A fire destroyed multiple buildings at Andy Lake Woodworks in May. Now a group of Amish workers are bringing out all of their tools to help owners of the business rebuild. Andy Lakes Woodworks has risen from the ashes, and it’s all thanks to the Amish for paying it forward. Six years ago, the…
An awful story from yesterday morning: EVERGREEN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Michigan State Police say three children were killed and six other people were critically injured when a pickup truck crashed into a buggy Sunday morning. It happened at 8:34 a.m. on Condensary Road at Wood Road in Evergreen Township, southeast of Sheridan. Police say the truck was eastbound on Condensary Road when it hit…
How does Amish taxi driving work? From time to time we get this question from people interested in doing this job as a side business, or full-time gig. Generally speaking, an Amish taxi driver is simply anyone who is paid to drive the Amish. This typically means either local business trips, visits to family or community events, or on more distant journeys. Business Insider ran an…
Don Burke, who last month shared with us a visit to the Amish of Ethridge, Tennessee, is back with photos from the community at New Wilmington in western Pennsylvania. This time, Don’s wife Pam joins him for a little commentary on their visit. I’ve had the chance to visit New Wilmington a couple of times, the first time 10 years ago. I made it the topic of…
Amish children in the newly-formed Whitefield, Maine community have been provided reflective armbands by state transportation officials. This community was covered here earlier this year, and is maybe a year old, with just a few households. From centralmaine.com: At Wednesday’s meeting, which Marple said lasted about 90 minutes, the Amish received reflective armbands from the state transportation department that their children could wear when walking on…
We recently heard about an Amish family serving home dinners in northeastern Indiana. But what about Lancaster County, the most popular Amish tourism destination? The Lititz Record Express looks at one such dining business, to be run on the farm of Samuel and Ruth Lapp: The farm home has a walk-in basement with a large kitchen, dining area, and handicap accessible restroom facilities. With the help of daughters Elizabeth,…
Don Burke, who’s previously shared photos from places like Kalona, Iowa; Jamesport, Missouri; and an Amish “ghost town”, today takes us to the Ethridge, Tennessee community. Ethridge is a conservative Swartzentruber community, and depending on how you define the region, the largest Amish settlement in the South. The people here are decidedly plainer than in communities like Lancaster County or those in northern Indiana. This shows up…
From The New York Times (“In Amish Country, The Future Is Calling” by Kevin Granville & Ashley Gilbertson): “Amish life is about recognizing the value of agreed-upon limits,” said Erik Wesner, an author who runs a blog, Amish America, “and the spirit of the internet cuts against the idea of limits.” John, who works a computerized saw at Amish Country Gazebos near Lancaster, Pa., likened it…
Ever come across a website selling Amish products (like furniture) and wonder how much the Amish are involved? Are they running these websites somehow, or is someone helping make it happen? Ryan Kralik helps Amish get their goods online. In today’s guest post he explains how that works. — Today I am the President of an internet marketing company called WebsiteNEO, Inc. We specialize in web…
I often get questions from readers wanting to have a “deeper experience” when they visit the Amish – something more than a buggy ride or buying canned goods at a roadside stand. For instance, there are a few Amish lodging places though they are not common. There are also families who will host you in their homes for a meal. Often you need to set this up in advance, come…