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Amish Life

Maine Amish Children Given Safety Armbands
ByErik Wesner October 20, 2017October 20, 2017
7 Comments

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…

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Amish Food

This Amish Family Will Feed You, Too
ByErik Wesner September 28, 2017
8 Comments

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,…

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Amish Communities

A Visit to the Amish of Ethridge, Tennessee (29 Photos)
ByDon Burke September 26, 2017January 17, 2026
21 Comments

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…

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Amish Business

NYT: “In Amish Country, The Future Is Calling”
ByErik Wesner September 22, 2017November 24, 2017
21 Comments

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…

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Amish Business

Guest Post: How I Became The “Amish Website Guy”
ByErik Wesner September 15, 2017September 15, 2017
12 Comments

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…

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Amish Food

This Amish Family Will Serve You Dinner
ByErik Wesner September 13, 2017September 28, 2017
21 Comments

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…

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Amish Life

Amishman Andy Yoder Discusses Caribou Wildfire (Video)
ByErik Wesner September 12, 2017September 12, 2017
6 Comments

Amish in Montana’s West Kootenai community suffered heavy losses last week when the fast-moving Caribou Fire destroyed dozens of buildings in the span of a few hours. The Missoulian interviewed 34-year-old Amish resident Andy Yoder on the fire and what he expects when his family returns to the site of their former home: Someday soon — before anyone has a chance to begin cleaning up…

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Mennonite & Anabaptist

Yoders Celebrate 300 Years In North America
ByErik Wesner September 7, 2017February 20, 2025
3 Comments

Do you know any Yoders? If so, you might want to congratulate them on a big anniversary. It’s been three centuries since the first Anabaptist Yoder set foot in North America. Shipshewana, IN will be home to a special edition of the Yoder Reunion event: The 2017 National Yoder Reunion will take place Sept. 20 to 23, and it will commemorate the 300th year since the arrival of…

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Amish Communities

Wildfire “Wreaks Havoc” On Montana Amish Community; 40 Buildings Lost (Updated)
ByErik Wesner September 6, 2017September 15, 2017
17 Comments

News of a wildfire in the vicinity of the Rexford, Montana Amish settlement (West Kootenai) began appearing over the past few days. Initial reports were that the Amish community was “OK”. Today brings different news. The Amish have in fact been hit hard – so far losing a total of 40 buildings – 10 homes and 30 outbuildings – to what’s being called the Caribou Fire. Another…

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Amish Beliefs

Amish Seventh-Day Adventists?
ByErik Wesner September 4, 2017September 15, 2017
61 Comments

Can you be Amish – and belong to another church at the same time? Andy and Naomi Weaver believe the answer is yes. In an article at adventistreview.org, “We are Amish. And we are Seventh-Day Adventists“, Andy and Naomi share their journey from a conservative Amish community at West Salem, Ohio, to the Seventh-day Adventist church: One day, about five years ago, Andy, who by now had…

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