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.