Harvest in Lancaster County (21 Photos)
Corn, pumpkins, and tobacco feature in today’s harvest photos, taken by reader Ed at various times and places in Lancaster County. Enjoy, and thank you Ed.
What will the next Amish TV show be about?
I say “next”, because it’s pretty much inevitable there will be more television and film on the Amish. What I’ve seen lately suggests as much. Over the past two weeks, I’ve been contacted on five separate occasions by people interested in presenting Amish on film (in a program or documentary). While I do hear from people wanting to film the Amish from time to time, on…
Amish Children – Back in School (12 Photos)
School has been back in session in Amish Country, and for that matter much of English Country, for a few weeks now. Ask an Amish child how he feels about going to school and you’ll get a range of answers, just like you might hear from his non-Amish counterpart. Some enjoy it very much and look forward to the return of school days. Others would…
My New Book: Fifty Fascinating Amish Facts
Do Amish ever live in town? Which musical instruments do Amish play? How old do you have to be to become a bishop? Do Amish ever accept government aid? When do Amish grow a beard? Do Amish ever drive cars? When and why do Amish make exceptions to the Ordnung? How are store-bought Amish quilts different from those in Amish homes? Do Amish ever adopt?…
Amish Umbrellas
Vital on-board gear for the open carriage: the heavy-duty umbrella. Handy in shine, or rain. Reader Ed, who took these, says the next two were shot in Smoketown, Pennsylvania, during a, ahem, driving rainstorm: Thanks to Ed for the photos, and the pun. And aren’t you glad your vehicle has a roof?
Do you read Amish newspapers?
Last week the Budget was covered in an article in the Wall Street Journal, not the first time the Ohio newspaper has received attention from conventional media. The Journal’s writer explores its folksy appeal, quoting publisher Keith Rathbun, who describes the paper as “like someone talking over the back fence to a neighbor.” Also mentioned in the WSJ piece is one competing publication, Die Botschaft,…
What will life be like in 50 or 100 years?
A few weeks ago we passed 30,000 comments on this website. I appreciate all of them (well, almost all of them 🙂 ) and just want to thank each of you who takes the time to share your thoughts with the rest of us. I’m not always able to write a personal response, but nonetheless the comments section remains one of my favorite parts of…
Amish Youth Talk: Church Community
Today we have the conclusion of an Amish father’s talk to a group of youth and parents. In continuing the theme of facing temptation, in this section he examines the importance of church community. You can read the previous parts here: Part 1: Pop Music Part 2: Cell phones & the Internet Part 3: Temptation & Character — In the Rules of a Godly Life…
History & Dancing in David Rogers Park
A reader shares photos today from a festive occasion in northern Indiana. There’s nothing especially Amish about this, except that this park is in a heavily-Amish area of the county, and that Amish attend the event (and by the looks of it, make up a large portion of attendees). I remember passing this park numerous times in my Indiana bookselling days in 2006. I never…
Suzanne Woods Fisher on Turning the Other Cheek
Suzanne Woods Fisher shares a guest post today in promotion of her new book The Letters. As Suzanne explains below, for this book she drew on the story of Monroe Beachy, an Ohio Amish investment manager who pleaded guilty to mail fraud and is currently serving six and a half years in federal prison. This reminded me of another recent, related news item. It’s kind…