A 21-year-old New York Amish man named Abraham Shetler lost his life in December 2023, when the buggy he was traveling in was struck by a pickup truck. A 19-year-old riding with him faced life-threatening injuries, but survived. Now, the driver who struck the buggy has been arrested – and will face charges. From localsyr.com: TOWN OF OSWEGATHCHIE, N.Y. (WWTI) – A 34-year-old Ogdensburg man…
Of all the Maine Amish communities (11 and counting), the Unity settlement has gotten the most media attention over the years – whether it’s about a beloved local market being rebuilt, “donut day“, ice harvesting, or a specialty meats business in the community. That’s why it’s neat to see this look at the community at Smyrna (Aroostook County) – and specifically some Amish food businesses…
After posting about the latest Horse Progress Days, held last week in Clare, Michigan, I was fortunate enough to receive not one, but two sets of photos from attendees of this year’s edition – from Jim Halverson, who many of you will recognize from frequent excellent photos here, and from Milo G. Miller, Publisher of the Budget newspaper. Some of you might be readers of…
Michigan, what is the deal? It seems like once or twice a month now we have another story of a serious car-buggy road wreck coming out of the Wolverine State – where Amish, of course, end up on the losing end. Reports are coming out over the past hour or two, out of Gladwin County, Michigan. Here’s the summary from abc12 News: GLADWIN COUNTY, Mich….
The Amish Acres complex in Nappanee, Indiana was a long-running and popular tourist destination in northern Indiana Amish Country. It offered a restaurant, theater shows, and Amish-themed tours and activities. I think it’s fair to say it was one of the best-known Amish-themed tourist attractions in the country, maybe “top five” even. After a 50-year run, the property was sold by its original owners in…
A tragic accident happened several days ago in Emmet County, Michigan. A five-year-old Amish boy lost his life on the road. Here’s what happened, via the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office: On July 1, 2025, at approximately 2009 hours, Emmet County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a fatal traffic accident on Sand Road in Maple River Township. The driver involved is a 50-year-old male from Maple River…
We got a preview of this song two weeks ago. Now Amish couple Ben & Rose have released the full version of “The Robin & The Eggs”. Neat to hear and see the full version after the teaser! Many – but of course not all – of Ben and Rose’s songs have an upbeat feel to them. But as mentioned on the preview clip, this…
Horse Progress Days, the Amish horsepower showcase now into its fourth decade, will kick off tomorrow (July 4th) and run through Saturday. This is a moveable event, but as in previous years, this year’s edition is happening in Clare County, Michigan, home to a sizeable Amish population. It will be held at the Alvin Yoder, Jr. farm, according to a report in Wilcox Newspapers. More:…
The 2025 Amish Population Report The 2025 Amish population figures have just been released by the Young Center at Elizabethtown College in Lancaster County, PA. As always, the Amish population continues going up (never down). This reflects their high birthrate, and the tendency for most people born Amish, to choose to remain Amish, by being baptized in the church. It’s a trend that has continued…
The community is Salem, Indiana. The two words that first hit me to describe this Amish home are “spacious” and “squeaky clean”. You’ll see what I mean in the photos below. This is also a quite “low” – or, in other words, plain or traditional – Amish home. In this case that means zero bathrooms. The area of Salem has more than one Amish community…