Amish Parking Garge

You will see these buildings in the parking lots of most grocery store in Lancaster County (even at Walmart).  Its a parking garage for Amish horse and buggies.  The "English" are very courteous and leaves the spaces open (I have never seen a car parked under one - no matter how full the parking lot) so the horses have shade while their owner shop.

September Farms Cheese

September Farm Cheese makes and sells National Award winning cheese.  They are located on RT 23 in Honey Brook PA. If you want to watch them make their cheese you have to visit them in the morning.  Their store has a lot of free samples, a deli style restaurant and some delicious looking homemade ice cream in gourmet flavors.  Try their cheese curds - they are excellent.  Webpage

The Amish Mafia Sites

The Amish Mafia has been caught filming all over the area for their Season Two which is beginning in August.  The authenticity of this "reality" show is such a joke.

The filming was done in the following places:

• East Lampeter beer distributor
• At a party staged near Strasburg
• A vacant apartment building on the corner of Grant st and Brimmer Ave in New Holland (pic below)
• The New Holland Livestock Auction, 101 W Fulton St, in New Holland
• Choo Choo barn in Strasburg
• Farms on Bowman Road in Strasburg and on routw 741 between Strasburg and Gap

Looks like they are keeping the cast and crew on the run!

The New Holland Livestock Auction

Local farmer bringing calves to the New Holland Livestock auction.  This auction is an interesting local place to see many horse and buggy Amish and Mennonites.  The horse auction is on Mondays.  It is also rumored that they used the New Holland Livestock auction in the Season Two reality show THE AMISH MAFIA which begins in August 2013.

Sulky Racing

On a back road in New Holland, tucked behind 2 farms, is a Sulky Training racetrack. No betting is done here, most of the horse owners and trainers are Mennonite and have never been to a racetrack. The horses are 2 and 3 year old Standard Bred either starting their racing journey or brushing up.

Lancaster PA Spring Quilt Show 2013

The Lancaster PA Spring Quilt Show is beginning on March 13th this year and lasting until March 16th.  It will be held at the Host Resort in Lancaster PA.  This sounds like an awesome show, starting with Guided Gallery Tours giving you the "rest of the story" of the quilt exhibits and having all the other amenities of a first class show.  It will be a great time for all.  Click here to sign up for classes.

Lancaster County Amish Mafia?

Is it real?  I have a business that sells items made by the Amish of Lancaster County so I have quite a bit of dealings with them,  enough that I believe they trust me.  I have asked all of them if there is such a thing as the Amish Mafia and all have answered no, not that they know of.   So sorry folks, I have to say that the reality show call the Amish Mafia on TV is acting at its best!

Now, I can not answer for the Amish of Ohio.  I hear there is some breakaway Amish in Ohio that are spending the next 15 years in prison for cutting off other Amish men's beards, maybe this is where they got their story line.  The Amish of Lancaster County are peace loving people that pay their taxes on time, go to church on Sunday and have old fashion values.  They are good people.

Harvest

Due to the beautiful weather this spring and summer, the corn is being harvested about 2 weeks early.

 

These men are cutting corn by hand to feed to their livestock.  This corn is still green, not ready for harvest. 

 

Heading out to the field for a very long day of work 

 

Perfect dry day for hay!

Fair Time

I am not native to Pennsylvania so Fair Time has always made me kinda scratch my head.  I guess these things are what a small town is all about.  The New Holland Parade starts the festivities.  It is on October 3rd.  Last Saturday, September 22nd, (11 days BEFORE the "event") the streets were beginning to look like this, everyone saving their "spot" with their chairs!  Amazingly, they don't get stolen.  On October 2, Main street will be shut down, most of the businesses will close and everything will come to a standstill until the fair ends early Sunday morning.  They set up all kinds of rides in the streets, venders come from all over and it is a BIG event, even the schools close half day on Friday so everyone can attend. This New Holland fair has been going on for 81 Years!  

Benefit Auction

 

The Amish believe in helping out their own people instead of depending on the government for help so when something happens to one of them they will have a benefit auction to help defray the costs. The benefits are usually open to the public so yesterday when I saw a sign for one I stopped in.  The auction was for a 40 year old women that because of an accident will be confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of her life.  I stopped in early to see what was going to be auctioned off and to my surprise nothing was out.  I asked the auctioneer and he told me that people will drop off their items when they arrive, no one knows exactly what is going to be on the auction block but usually they end up with a huge pile of items.  I was also told that the auction is on the honor system so the buyer (not the auction house) keeps track of the amount they owe, no other records are kept.  The really intrigued me.

At the start of the auction the auctioneer asked everyone  to pray for the auctioneer and for honesty, all the men took off their hats and had a silent prayer.   Then the auction began.  There were items as big as a $6,000 swing set and as small as a flashlight, each bringing what they could afford.  Prices were high, as I overheard one Amish women say "its only money".  I was totally amazed.

 

Amish kids love volley ball and the benefit was a perfect excuse to get one going.  One more thing... The food at these things is wonderful.  Homemade pies, chicken, ribs, shrimp you name it they have it!

School is back in session

This is an Amish one room schoolhouse.  The Amish children start school in late August with a few weeks off for harvest in September/October.  They will go to this school until they finish the 8th grade at which time they quit school and either go to work or learn a trade.

After the Nickel Mine shootings on October 2, 2006 all the schools installed fences.  At first they were locked up tight but it looks like they have become relaxed a little again.

Bird -In - Hand Half Marathon 09/08/2012

The weekend of the Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon is a weekend full of fun.  It starts on Friday night with an Amish Pasta Party, Amish Country Hot Air Balloon Fest Launch, Bird-in-Hand Kid's Fun Run and Bird-in-Hand 5K and a Bonfire & S'mores Party.  The Half Marathon is  on Saturday.

What I find interesting is the Amish involvement in this weekend.  Most people think the Amish stay to themselves but the truth is when it come to helping out they are first in line.  The marathon proceeds go to the Bird-In-Hand fire company which has quite a few Amish volunteers.   

 The Amish took care of most of the weekend, making the pasta and pizza supper on Friday, signing runners in and helping out wherever needed.

 

The Amish children gave out water at the water stations, 

horse and buggy drivers gave rides to the runners that needed assistance

Bird-in-Hand has a running club called Vella Shpringa (translated, "let's run").  It is made up mostly of Amish and Mennonite people,  they run through the country once a month when it is full moon.

An amazing weekend for everyone.

Carriage Rides Coming to Shady Maple

 

Shady Maple Smorgasbord has joined forces with Lanzelot Promenades to offer specialty carriage rides  through the countryside on magnificent parade horses.  The horses are Percheron's which are a very large draft horse that was originally bred to carry knights into battle.   The rides begin on Saturday, August 26th and will run daily though Christmas. 

Lancaster County's Best Kept Secret Tour

This year I have decided to take this unusual shopping, food and fun adventure.  The tour features 35 unique business that are off-the-beaten path, ones that you would probably never find.  The tour runs October 5th through October 20, 2012.  

If you are interested in going, the tour is a self tour, costing $7.00 each person.  Each business will provide refreshments, games, gifts, demos, tours, make and take projects and many other surprises.  Contact melissa@bestkeptsecretstour.com for more information.

Stay tuned in, I will keep you updated on the highlights and share some of the better kept secrets with you.

Growing Tobacco - A Cash Crop

Cash Crop or Devils Cabbage?

This has been a wonderful year for tobacco in Lancaster County.  Due to the abundance of rain it has grown larger that I have ever seen it.  Harvest has come early and the first sign is seeing the farmers out working with their tobacco. 

The tobacco leaves are picked and then speared onto lathes and left in the field for a few days to dry

It is then picked up and put in a tobacco shed or any warm dry area.  After a few months of drying (In November or so) the tobacco dealers will come around, examine the quality and buy it from the farmer.

Brought to the area in 1825 to combat the financial distress of  the 1820's, tobacco is called a cash crop because it is used for profit rather than consumption.  Since 1917 it has been a great controversy by Amish and Mennonite  to grow it or not.  Many believe that is wrong to "raise tobacco, or grow an article that destroys human character" and have stopped growing it calling it  the "devils cabbage".   Finally to stop the controversy some church groups made the decision that if your farm was not paid off you could grow tobacco, if it was paid off you didn't need the extra cash and were asked to refrain from growing it.

Ox Roasts - Firehouse Speciality

The Witmer Fire Company has a delicious OX Roast three times a year.  Many of their firemen are Amish and their wives sure know how to cook.  The seating is family style and passed around twice so you definitely get your fill.  Included on the menu is Lancaster county corn that was frozen by the Witmer Fire Company volunteers.  In one day they froze 4,350 lbs of corn that they will use for these meals.  The next Ox Roast is October 20, 2012.  Prices are $12.50 which is extremely reasonable for all that you get.  This OX Roast is not only for us locals, people come every year from as far away as CT, VA, NY, NJ, DE, MD and even FL!  It starts around 12:00 and runs until they run out of tickets, one year that was at 2:00!  Come early and enjoy!

Fresh, Slow Cooked Beef
Homemade Filling
Home Cooked Potatoes
Lancaster County Sweet Corn
Homemade Gravy
Locally Made Rolls & Butter
Cole Slaw
Peaches
Homemade Pies, Cakes and Ice Cream

The address is 455 Mount Sidney Road, Lancaster, PA 17602.

What a wonderful world it would be...

Driving down the road one day I came across this field.  All different types of animals, all peacefully grazing, each doing its own thing, all getting along.  What a wonderful world it would be...

Shirktown Threshing Day

Shirktown Threshing Day was held at Big Spring Farm on 739 Spruce Rd, New Holland PA on Sat Aug 4th, 2012

A day bringing you back to the past and the "Good old days"

The Martin homestead was open for tours, bread was baking 
in the outside oven, soup was bubbling over an open fire 
and a group was demonstrating how pork scrapple is made.

This was the parking lot - as many horse buggy's as cars

Excellent food!

tractor parade

This machine turns the crank on the ice cream machine!

I wondered why so many kids wanted to ride the tractor and wagon,
 then I realized that they never have this chance - they ride in a horse
 and buggy everyday.

Sand Box for the kids filled with dried corn

Hooking the horses up to the threshing machine

 3 teams of horses were used as shuttles going to & from the parking lot

Chair Caning demonstration

It was really a fun day!  They have it every year, the first weekend in August- If you are in the area it is well worth your time.   Everything is free except for the food!

Steel Wheels on Tractors

When visiting the Amish Country you may notice some tractors have steel wheels.  Tractors with steel wheels are used by the Wenger Mennonites for farming.  The use of steel wheels ensures that the tractors are not used as a substitute for automobiles to run errands or to make more extensive trips than are convenient with horse-drawn carriages.   The Wenger Mennonites drive black horse-drawn carriages for transportation and are allowed to have electricity.

Emma's Gourmet Popcorn

I came across this little business last week located on 261 Hill Road  New Holland, PA.  Emma's Gourmet Popcorn is set up in the basement of their home. The driveway is fairly long and winding, about the time you think you are at the wrong place you will see the house.

These pictures don't show half of the flavors they have, its amazing what all they make.  They have samples of everything so bring your appetite!  A really fun place to visit.