“Amish-founded bank” may be a better way to describe the proposal to create a new bank in eastern Lancaster County. Lancaster New Era/Intelligencer Journal reports that operations at Bank of Bird-in-Hand could begin “in the next few months”. The heavily-Amish area is apparently underserved, and the investors see an opportunity there. The article reports that a “substantial” number of the bank’s 18 investors are Amish. If you…
What are the boundaries of Amish work? Besides tech limitations, conscience corrals the jobs Amish will do. Morally-questionable businesses are out-of-bounds. For instance, you won’t find Amish working at reservation casinos in Wisconsin, or selling liquor in downtown Philadelphia. But what about working in vineyards? Grape cultivation falls under agriculture, a comfortable occupational zone for Amish. Many Amish have their own home vines, using their…
A writer for the Washington Post visits the New Wilmington, PA Amish community in this article. It’s a pretty straightforward Travel section piece. One paragraph did jump out at me: Craftsmen and seamstresses advertise their wares with simple hand-lettered signs painted on scraps of wood — Furniture. Quilts. Jams & Jellies. Harness Maker — leaving you to discover the true quality of what’s for sale…
Country Style Deli @ The Markets at Shrewsbury 12025 Susquehanna Trail Glen Rock, PA 17327 (717) 235-6611 How about a few photos today from Country Style Deli at the Markets at Shrewsbury (York County, PA). This deli is run by the Riehl family, friends of mine from Lancaster County. Amish markets are typically open for business 3 days per week (Thurs-Sat), though some stand owners…
I’ve been hearing about Cruise Night at the Markets at Shrewsbury for years now. I finally got to attend on this recent PA trip. First, a word about the venue. The Markets at Shrewsbury is one of the nicer and more extensive Pennsylvania Dutch markets I’ve visited. I’d say the vendor breakdown is majority Amish, with a number of English stands as well. Most of…
I’m calling it “Amish” in the title, though that’s not totally accurate. More of the participants were probably non-Amish, though there were quite a few Amish riders as well, and a heavily Amish crowd. Riders perform each Monday in the spring and summer, but as I understood it the August 27 event at Hill Brook Farm Arena was the highlight show of the season. I…
I’ve finally put together some trip highlights from Lancaster County. Today begins a new trip, a week-long journey across Indiana and Ohio. Before we get into that, here’s what I liked from last week’s visit: Seven nights, four bonfires, two mountain pie feasts. Amish people like to burn stuff in the summer time. Mostly wood from what I can tell. It makes for a nice…
Amish: A Secret Life is a new BBC documentary following David and Miriam Lapp of Lancaster County. From the description on the BBC website: An intimate portrait of Amish family life and faith – this film opens up a world usually kept private. Miriam and David are Old Order Amish and photography is not permitted under the strict rules of the Amish church. So when…
One of the more remarkable interactions between Amish and civic society occurs in Lancaster County, in the form of Amish and other Plain People volunteering, at a quite high level, on local fire crews. This article details that involvement, as well as Plain participation as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). These aren’t just a few token Plain people. One local fire and EMS company is described…
My friend Mose Smucker was in the news over the weekend. Mose is an Amish father of 8 (and grandfather of more) who currently runs a meat shop and sandwich stand at bustling Reading Terminal Market in downtown Philadelphia (grab a sandwich from Mose if you’re ever in the neighborhood, if he’s not around his daughters are often there running the show). Mose used to run…