I’d never heard of this one. But it’s apparently taken off in some Amish communities. Spikeball‘s rules are simple. It’s played in two teams of two. I won’t try to explain the game in depth here (this is what I watched to learn the rules). But essentially you have three hits of a ball, back and forth with your teammate a la volleyball. The object…
Last month I shared an update on the Swartzentruber Amish community at Ellenboro, NC, with photos of two stops at Amish businesses there (Gideon Hershberger‘s woodworking business and Enos Gingerich & wife Fannie’s furniture and homemade soaps businesses). I also put together two videos from that visit so far – one from Gideon’s woodworking place, and the second from the soaps shop. Visiting the Swartzentruber…
From Bangor Daily News: HOULTON, Maine — A 29-year-old Sherman man, who is a member of the town’s Amish community, pleaded guilty to a sex crime Monday afternoon, while appearing in Houlton District Court. Rudy L. Miller was sentenced to five years in prison with all but nine months suspended by Judge Patrick Larson for the Class C felony of unlawful sexual contact. Miller was…
 I had a blast doing this Q & A with my friend Ben Riehl while in Lancaster County last month. We recorded this while driving to a local horse auction. Ben explains the appeal of Amish auctions and answers some of my questions. He also shares a funny anecdote and we have some laughs. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I…
Albert Miller grew up as the son of an Amish church deacon in Holmes County, Ohio. He left his community at the age of 18, got his GED, attended Kent State University and eventually medical school, before becoming a doctor. He documents his journey in a new book: You Can’t Do That!: The Story of an Amish Deacon’s Son Who Left the Fold and Became…
Big Olaf is an Amish-made ice cream brand based in Sarasota, Florida. The company has just recalled its ice cream products after allegations that its product was contaminated by listeria. Two lawsuits have been filed, one by the estate of an Illinois woman who it’s claimed was made ill and died after eating the product. Another is by a couple who lost an unborn child…
We’ve got another collection of Don Burke photos for you today – this batch from the Amish community at Chetopa, Kansas (Labette County). We don’t talk too often about the Amish in the Sunflower State, but they have a solid and long-running presence there. In fact, several of the oldest Amish communities are in the state (namely the Haven/Yoder, Hutchinson, and Garnett communities). Chetopa is…
While in Lancaster County last month, I had the chance to film inside the buggy of a friend’s son (16 years old). He helpfully explained the controls and other elements of the buggy (useful for an English non-buggy-driver) so I could better explain them to you. In this video I give you a look at what all the knobs and other things in the buggy…
In her weekly column, Amish mother Lovina Eicher from time to time shares an hour-by-hour look into her daily life. We saw this in both 2018 and 2020. One change I noticed between those two accounts is that Lovina’s wake-up time “improved” from 3 AM to 4 AM. I think that reflects a change in the work schedule of the working men in her household…
Last year we noted an exhibition of photographs by Dennis L. Hughes, who captured thousands of images of Amish life. This exhibition, at Elizabethtown College (Lancaster County, PA) has returned, and is currently running until August 4th. If you’d like to view the collection here’s more on how to do that, along with a link to the online exhibition: Amish Life in Focus: The Dennis…