Amish Country News Holiday Winter 2013 2014 by Amish Country News

Immerse Yourself in the Amish Story WITNESS the spectacular “Jacob’s Choice” told with Disney-like Special Effects in the Amish Experience Theater.

EXPLORE the Amish Country Homestead, the region’s only officially designated Heritage Site Amish home.

TOUR the magnificent and rarely seen Amish Farmlands with a certified tour guide in complete comfort onboard one of our 14 passenger shuttles. SATISFY yourself that you’re making the most from your Amish Experience...

• Since 1959, the area’s first, and still foremost, interpretative source of Amish Culture.

RT 340 Between Bird-in-Hand & Intercourse at Plain & Fancy Farm

SIT in a desk at the new Fisher Amish schoolroom furnished authentically with desks and more from an actual Amish classroom.

RECEIVE a free Amish cookbook autographed by the author herself when you take our our Farmland Tour.

Designated a Heritage Site by the Lancaster County Planning Commission

SAVE with our Super Saver package which includes “Jacob’s Choice”, the Amish Country Homestead and a 90 minute Amish farmlands Tour.

For GPS: 3121 Old Philadelphia Pike • Ronks, PA

717.768.8400 Ext. 210 Open Daily thru November, Saturdays in December, and December 21-31. Theater: Shows on the hour. Farmland Tours: Tours at 10am, 12:00pm and 2:00pm. Homestead: Tours at quarter past the hour, 7 days thru November, Saturdays in December and December 21-31. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and January thru Mid-March.

AmishExperience.com

DUTCH HAVEN W hile driving along Route 30 in Lancaster County, you may see both familiar and unexpected sights. Certainly the Plain folk and their horse and buggy transportation will seem a step back in time. But one unique and unmistakable landmark is the Dutch Haven windmill. Its revolving arms have been drawing thousands of visitors each week ever since it first opened as a restaurant back in 1946. And while hungry visitors could satisfy themselves on any number of Penn Dutch specialties, it was Dutch Haven’s shoo fly pie that put it on the map…and in the record books as “America’s Best Shoo Fly Pie.”

This is undisputedly Amish Country’s most famous dessert, and all you have to do is walk through the door at Dutch Haven to be offered a sample taste of this amazing treat, warmed and topped with whipped cream, just as it was served in the restaurant all those years ago.

T-Shirts

AMISH COUNTRY LANDMARK

Made with a secret recipe, some 40,000 pies are sold in the store or shipped via UPS all over the USA. Indeed, so popular and delicious are the pies that some faithful customers have been buying them for over 50 years!

The pie that was featured in TIME magazine still plays a feature role at Dutch Haven. But the windmill building is now home to an amazing selection of over 10,000 items. One of the area’s best selections of primitive Amish furniture includes

Souvenirs

corner cupboards, pie safes, chests, and shelves. Woodcrafts, souvenirs and collectibles of all kinds fill the former dining rooms. Also on the shopper’s menu would be everything from spice mats and Amish dolls to jams, jellies, and local honey. Who can resist buying a T-shirt, or maybe a bonnet or Amish felt hat. If you grow tired looking at all of the Dutch Haven gift items, relax in one of the Troutman Rocking Chairs, from the oldest rocking chair company in America. Also deserving of a trip home in your car are the colorful and decorative hex signs, a perfect reminder of a visit to Dutch Country.

Dutch Haven’s shopping hours are Sun.-Thurs. 9am-7pm, Fri. & Sat. 9am-9pm. For more information about this Lancaster County landmark, call (717) 687-0111 or visit dutchhaven.com. A visit to Dutch Haven, “the place that made shoo fly pie famous,” will make your trip to Amish Country even more memorable…and tasty!

Hex Signs

AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 3

Jake’s Country Trading Post is Amish Country Shopper’s Delight by Clinton Martin Designs offerings on their shelves, but it quickly became clear that Jake’s and Park Designs were a great match. Today Jake’s Country Trading Post has as broad a selection of the entire Park Designs line as you’ll find anywhere.

mish Country has long been known for great country shopping. Back in September of 1996 one of the area’s most treasured shops, Jake’s Country Trading Post, opened for business. It took a lot of hard work to bring their grand ideas to fruition, but Ed and Melissa Jackson and family, the driving forces behind Jake’s, knew they were on to something special in the world of shopping. The Jackson’s had been in the leather business for 25 years prior to opening Jake’s, successfully selling their leather crafts at fairs, craft shows, and malls. Vowing to put down roots and leave the traveling trade behind, and after exhaustive brainstorming sessions over a period of time, the Jacksons decided to settle in Amish Country. They knew they wanted a stand-alone store, and one that carried a huge variety of merchandise. It didn’t take long to find the ideal property. Long-time visitors to the area might remember the old Keystone Cheese Factory. After months of renovations, Keystone Cheese became Jake’s Country Trading Post. The first customers at Jake’s Country Trading Post walked through the doors the weekend after Labor Day in 1996. Over the years, as evidence of its popularity, Jake’s has doubled in size, with an expanded selection of merchandise to match.

While there’s simply no way to describe all that is available at Jake’s, there are a few all-star lines that Jake’s is especially proud of. As a long-time Jake’s shopper, I was more than willing to assign precious editorial space for sharing them with our readers.

Park Designs Prior to Jake’s Country Trading Post opening, a small company located in Goldsboro, North Carolina first opened for business. Park Designs was the name, and they focused on designing, importing, and distributing textile, giftware and home décor products. They grew year after year by forging partnerships with retailers all around the Country. Jake’s Country Trading Post was only a few years old when the two fatefully met. Ed and Melissa started by including a few of Park

At last count Jake’s carries nearly 500 different varieties of home, bath, kitchen, and daily living merchandise from Park Designs, including the Hearth & Home selection which includes a patchwork and lined point valances, placemat settings, primitive circle braided rugs, lined gathered swags, napkins, prairie aprons, table runners, placemats, and chair pads.

Braided Rugs Braided Rugs are as American as apple pie. Early settlers in Colonial America were accustomed to living frugally. It was a matter of necessity, of survival. Putting scraps of clothing and other excess fabrics to use as raw material in rugs was a perfect way to “waste not, want not” while also providing a warm and practical floor covering. Today, most Americans no longer braid their own rugs, but the braided rug remains a popular home accessory. Jake’s Country Trading Post celebrates the earthy warmth of braided rugs, carrying hundreds of styles and color combinations. Stocking rugs from manufacturers like Capitol Earth, Green World, India Home Fashions, and others allows Jake’s to provide a variety that just isn’t possible at retailers that only stick to one source. A current trend in braided rugs is the Jute Rug. Jute rugs are made of 100% jute fibers. The jute plant resembles bamboo, though is technically a type of reed. Jute is harvested and then split open so as to access the softer inner fibers that are suitable for weaving. The fibers, after retting, combing, and cleaning, are woven into yarn. The braided rugs that result are beautiful, durable, completely sourced from sustainable primary resource fiber, and are fully biodegradable. In short, they are one of the most eco-friendly ways to decorate one’s home. Jute is one of the strongest naturally occurring fibers, and was actually widely used in ropemaking for seafaring ships prior to the invention of steel cable. Jake’s has many other styles of attractive braided rugs, including the very popular cotton braided rugs (the sort those Colonists would recognize) from manufacturers like Park Designs.

Wrought iron is a tough, yet malleable form of iron suited to forging rather than casting. Prior to the discovery of modern steel-making techniques, wrought iron was commonly used and might appear in anything from swords and springs to ironclad warships and railroads. Its peak in everyday use was the mid-1860s. The word “wrought” historically meant worked by hand. In many instances wrought iron today isn’t a hand-crafted art. But, among the Amish a select group of craftsmen have continued to work with the metal through traditional, time-honored hand work methods. I personally had the experience of visiting one of these Amish forges, which was incredible to say the least. I now fully understand how the few retailers like Jake’s willing to take on wrought iron specialties have become critical outlets for these Amish craftsmen. Simply put, the forge was no place for visitors to be milling about, and a nearby showroom would have been impractical with all that potentially dangerous equipment around. So, Jake’s is the place if you’re interested in seeing some beautiful handmade wrought iron crafted by local Amish. There are many different uses for the finished products, which come in myriad shapes and sizes suited for practical decoration of any room of the home. A very popular Amish wrought iron gift is the “courting candle.” The wrought iron candle holder resembles a spiral curling vertically off of a sturdy base. A candle is placed inside the spiral, on a small wooden base that sits within the coil of the holder. By moving the small wooden base, the height of the candle above the holder is adjusted. The legend, not exclusive to the Amish, has it that the candle was used to establish the length of a suitor’s visit. In other words, a father would set the courting candle’s height to reflect how much promise he saw in the young men coming to court his daughter. A promising young man might have the advantage of a fully extended courting candle, while a questionable suitor might have most of the candle hidden below the holder’s top, thus affording much less time until his visit literally burned out. Perhaps more folklore than fact, the courting candle is nonetheless a unique gift.

Amish-Made Wrought Iron

Jake’s Country Trading Post is a wonderful shopping experience you should never miss, particularly in this gift-giving season. Getting there is a snap. On Route 30 in Lancaster, at 2954 Lincoln Highway East, Gordonville, you can shop Jake’s daily, including Sundays.

No visit to Jake’s Country Trading Post would be complete without perusing the huge selection of Amish-made wrought iron crafts.

Call 717-687-8980 or visit www.superjakes.com for more information or to shop online for the holidays from home!

4 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

(717) 687-8980 • www.jakesctp.com

On Route 30 in Paradise • 2954 Lincoln Highway East

Greetings from Jake's

with $20.00 purchase or more and this coupon. Limit one coupon per family. (Expires 3/31/14) Cookbook valued at $2.00.

FREE COOKBOOK

Thanksgiving at Bird-in-Hand Restaurant... Served Three Ways

by Clinton Martin

or all that’s written in this issue of AMISH COUNTRY NEWS, you might think Amish Country only gets excited about the Holidays that come after Thanksgiving. Believe me, that’s not the case. The traditional feast that’s enjoyed with family and friends to honor the bounty of the year and the blessings we enjoy is definitely as important to folks around here as any other holiday. The Smucker family, owners of the Bird-inHand Family Restaurant and Smorgasbord, spread their tables extra wide each year offering visitors an ideal dining room to observe this purely American occasion, providing the traditional foods with favorite trimmings, all steeped in warm PA Dutch hospitality. It certainly makes it easy to gather ‘round the table for a meaningful meal that the entire family will enjoy. Bird-in-Hand offers three ways to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving. First, as you would

expect, the grand smorgasbord is open, complete with fresh roasted turkey and gravy, baked ham with pineapple sauce, roast beef and baked fish as main dishes. The sides are ample and include homemade soups, salad bar, PA Dutch bread filling, real mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, cranberry relish, corn, green beans and other hot vegetables. Of course, Thanksgiving dinner wouldn’t be complete without generous servings of sweet treats. One bite and you’ll discover why the Bird-in-Hand Restaurant's pumpkin pie is legendary around these parts. The many other yummy desserts are equally hard to resist (and you probably won’t). Beverages are included in the price. The entire feast is only $24.95 for adults. Children ages 4 through 12 are priced $1 per year of age, and finally kids 3 and under free. The Thanksgiving Smorgasbord is available from 11:00am to 5:00pm. The second option utilizes Bird-in-Hand’s banquet space. Rather than the buffet-style

Discover the true meaning of Christmas with Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future in Charles Dickens’ classic like you’ve never seen it before!

NOVEMBER 14 - DECEMBER 23

6 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

all-you-care-to-eat experience, here is a familystyle meal at your own private table. You stay seated with your family and friends to enjoy fresh roast turkey, baked ham, bread filling, mashed and candied sweet potatoes, cranberry relish, corn, green beans and various desserts. Servers bring platter after platter of food right to your table while you relax to engage in conversation and fellowship. Prices are $22.95 per adult and the same $1 per year of age for children 4 through 12. The family-style meal option is available by reservation only with just one seating at 12 noon. Call (717) 768-1500 early as seating is limited and does sell out. The third way to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal at Bird-in-Hand is to pick it up "to go." Bird-inHand offers an “At Your Home Holiday-to-Go” package that keeps your oven cool, your dining room table warm, and ensures that you as the host have time to enjoy your company fully. Prepared in an easy portable to-go package, everything is included --- fresh roasted turkey with all the trimmings, Pennsylvania Dutch bread filling, cranberry relish, two veggies that you select from a variety that includes real mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, carrots, coleslaw or Grandma Smucker’s apple sauce. Fresh rolls and butter are included, and finally a choice of pie, selected from a menu of that same delicious pumpkin pie, farm fresh apple pie, lemon sponge pie, wet-bottom shoofly pie and coconut cream pie. Beverages are also included in the take-out package. The price is $17.95 per person plus tax. Orders for the take-out program must be placed in advance by calling (717) 768-1560. Packages must be picked up either Wednesday, November 27th from 11am to 7 pm, or Thanksgiving Day from 11 am to 4:30 pm. The Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant and Smorgasbord is located in the heart of the village of Bird-in-Hand along Route 340 --GPS directions, 2760 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bird-in-Hand. For more information visit birdin-hand.com.

Pennsylvania German Christmas Traditions by Brad Igou

mish Country is blessed with a rich tapestry of Old and New World Christmas customs, many descending from our PA German background. Indeed, we could well stake a claim as an American "Christmas Heritage Site" with the Holiday practices that originated here. Throughout this special Holiday edition of AMISH COUNTRY NEWS, you’ll discover some of our more interesting traditions.

Decisions, Decisions...Answers, Answers at Union Barrel Works by Clinton Martin

ou only have so much time to spend in Amish Country. How do you decide what to do? There’s just no easy way to decide what to fit into your schedule this trip, and what will go on the “next time” list.

The Tree Let’s start with something we are all familiar with --- the Christmas tree. It has its own very special connection to Amish Country that you may find surprising. The tree, as you may well know, certainly has German beginnings and, while it is doubtful Martin Luther started the custom... …it was among Lutherans that the tree first became a Christmas tradition. The earliest written record of a fully decorated Christmas tree dates from 1605, when a citizen of Strasbourg wrote that “at Christmas they set up fir trees in the parlors and hang upon them roses cut from many-colored paper, apples, wafers, gilt-sugar, sweets, etc.” These Old World Germans decorated their tree “with stars, angels, toys, gilded nuts, and candies wrapped in bright papers. Later they added tinsel and lighted candles.” It is claimed that the first known written mention of a Christmas tree in America is found in the Continued on Page 16

No matter what you do, you’ll have to eat. But where? Now, that’s easier. Delicious food, friendly atmosphere, and hand-crafted on-site brews combine to make Union Barrel Works, one of my personal favorites, and a fine choice. Deciding what to choose from the UBW brew menu need not be difficult either. Just select the “Sampler.” The Sampler comes with six 2.5 ounce tasters of your choice for under $5. Additional samples can be added for a buck a piece. The beer list represents many styles of creatively named and crafted hand-made beer, such as Kolsch, Union Pale Ale, Blonde Bock, Lager, Hop Knockers IPA, Mai Bock, Pilsner, Porter, Wobbly Bob Doppelbock, Uncle Fester, Round Boy Stout, Brugge Bastaard, Double Barrel, and Hefeweizen. One or two additional offerings may also be available when you visit. UBW is open daily, except Mondays. GPS destination is 6 North Reamstown Road, Reamstown, PA 17567, although some GPS devices will recognize the same address, at Stevens, PA 17578. If you get stuck, call UBW at 717-335-7837 or visit www. unionbarrelworks.com.

AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 7

Strasburg - A Town of Trains & Heritage

As early as 1716, when the first wagon was used for hauling goods, the path became known as the Conestoga Road, and the wagons that traveled them eventually became known as Conestoga Wagons. Main Street Strasburg was developed during the next half century as traffic on this road increased considerably and the first log houses appeared in the village about 1733. Strasburg continued to flourish in the 18th century primarily because of its location along

BACHMAN TOWN RD.

Amish Village

Hershey Farm Restaurant & Motor Inn

RON KS RD.

HERR RD.

J & B Quilts & Crafts Country Creations

V FAIR

NORTH STAR RD

IE W

Lapp’s Quilts & Crafts Parking

896 Iron Horse Inn

741

DECATUR STREET

Strasburg, named for the city in France, was actually “founded” by a Frenchman, Pierre Bezaillion, who traded with the Delaware Indians. The story goes he came to the area in 1693, as French fur traders opened up the first path through this area from Philadelphia to the Susquehanna River.

896 STRASBURG

Choo

741

Choo

Barn

Lil Country Store & Mini Horse Farm National ToyTrain Museum

Strasburg Rail Road Verdant View Farm B&B and Farmland Fun

PARADISE LANE

ll aboard! Strasburg is a destination all its own in Dutch Country, home to many well known attractions. To name just a few --- the Strasburg Rail Road, Ghost Tours of Lancaster, Cherry Crest Adventure Farm, National Toy Train Museum, and the Choo Choo Barn. But you may not know much about the interesting history of "Train Town."

the major wagon routes between Philadelphia, Lancaster, and the Susquehanna River. As Strasburg flourished, so did its neighbor to the east, Philadelphia. The commercial interests of Philadelphia pressured the State Legislature to improve the transportation network into their city. As a result, a series of canals along with the Philadelphia and Columbia Rail Roads were constructed. Strasburg residents became alarmed at the possibility of losing their commercial position and there soon emerged a charter for the Strasburg Rail Road to construct a rail line connecting Strasburg with the Philadelphia and Columbia Rail Road main line near Paradise. Finally in the 1850’s, trains were hauling freight and passengers. About 100 years later, business had dwindled, and a severe storm in 1957 destroyed much of

8 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

A Christmas favorite is the model train layout, and the amazing Choo Choo Barn with its hidden Santas is fun for all ages.

DAY OUT WITH THOMAS

Take a 22-minute ride with a full size Thomas the Tank Engine™

November 22-24

ticketweb.com/dowt • 866.468.7630 Tickets are $19 for ages 2 and up. Advance purchase is recommended. Ticket sales are ﬁnal. Events are rain or shine.

SANTA’S PARADISE EXPRESS

Travel down the tracks with Santa!

November 29-December 1 December 7-8, 14-15 & 21-22 Multiple train departure times each day, beginning at 11am.

the track. It seemed the SRR had reached the end of the line. To the rescue came a group of local train enthusiasts who began bringing the SRR back to life in a totally new way. They added passenger cars and buildings, and today’s Strasburg Rail Road was born, destined to become one of Dutch Country’s top attractions.

NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS TRAIN

Listen to this classic poem in a unique setting.

Runs 3 Friday evenings – December 6, 13 & 20 Train departs at 7pm on each of the three Friday evenings.

Rt. 741 East, Strasburg, PA • 866-725-9666 • StrasburgRailRoad.com Appropriately enough, the State decided to build an expanded Rail Road Museum of Pennsylvania across the street, the ideal place to preserve the history of railroading in Pennsylvania. With the other train attractions nearby, it’s little wonder that Strasburg has earned the title of Train Town!

500,000 Number of Christmas lights on display at Koziar's Christmas Village.

Christmas at the Choo Choo Barn Child-like wonder and awe-inspiring, our gigantic model train display is decking the halls with holiday spirit. Search for 52 hidden Santas as the Choo Choo Barn celebrates the holidays with holiday lights, a snow-covered landscape and more festive fun. Canned Food Fridays!

November 29th – January 5th Donate non-perishable food items on 3 Fridays – December 6, 13 or 20 and get free admission!

Visit Traintown, U.S.A.® at: choochoobarn.com • 717-687-7911 Route 741 East, 226 Gap Road, Strasburg, PA • Look for the train on the roof! AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 9

Country Creations by Clinton Martin

This is Lancaster County, PA... •PA Dutch Recipes •Modern Flavors •Made-To-Order Grill •Soup, Salad, Gourmet Bread & Potato Bar •World Famous Desserts •Menu Options •Smorgasbord Dining •On-site Bakery •Cozy Inn •Boutiques •Country Shops •Outdoor Market •Walking Trails & Gardens •Fishing Pond •And More!

$3 OFF

Adult Dinner Grand Smorgasbord or

$2 OFF

Adult Lunch Grand Smorgasbord

800-827-8635 www.hersheyfarm.com

Not valid Holidays, on Family Style Dining, or on parties of 8 or more. Please show coupon. No other discounts apply. Exp 01/31/2014. ACN13

Country Creations carries fashionable attire and jewelry in their on-site boutique.

nick-knack stores are a dime a dozen in any vacation destination in America. Amish Country, to be honest, isn’t immune to the souvenir-store-on-every-corner syndrome. Yet, there are a few exceptionally unique shopping destinations here that any visitor destination would be proud to call its own. Country Creations, by any measurement, is one of these shops. This 120-year-old, three-story, 8,500 square-foot barn, which the proprietors with a very clear vision decided to convert from a working dairy barn into a country store, is a must-stop for your Holiday needs, with attractive shelves spanning the spectrum from primitives and décor to upscale boutique jewelry and apparel. Perhaps one of the most popular lines of merchandise at Country Creations is the Treenware. Treen is a nebulous word that is best defined as small wooden household items other than furniture. And Country Creations has dozens of options to spruce up your home with Treenware. Just one item they’ve struggled to keep in stock due to high demand has been the “Open Back Swine Bowl.” This cute pigshaped bowl cleverly opens up to provide decorative storage space. The body is made of resin that emulates wood quite nicely. The pig is fifteen and a half inches long by six and a quarter inches wide by four inches high, the perfect size for any table-top display.

800-827-8635 Dining • Shopping • Lodging

Rt 896 240 Hartman Bridge Road Ronks, PA 17572 • hersheyfarm.com 10 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

Visit Country Creations and allow yourself some time to take in all the gift and take-homefor-yourself possibilities. This fascinating store is located just off of Route 896, down North Star Road. From Route 30, turn south onto Route 896. After approximately 2.5 miles you’ll come to North Star Road. Turn right (first road after Sight & Sound Millennium Theatre). The goodies are just down the road. Country Creations is open daily, except Sunday. Call (717) 687-8743 for more information.

730 Days the Extra Sharp Cheddar at Groffdale Meadows Dairy is aged.

Visit us online at AmishNews.com where you'll find archived issues, Brad Igou's continuing Amish Series, recipes from past dining issues and lots more!

Fantastic articles! Money saving coupons! A guide to Amish Country! For an Amish Country News annual subscription, complete this form and send a check or money order for $30 to: Amish Country News, PO Box 414, Bird-In-Hand, PA 17505

• Take a guided tour of our authentic, 1840 Amish Farmhouse • Experience the Amish Holiday Tradition Tour • Sip and snack on regional treats • Sample and shop Amish delights and gifts

Amish Country News is printed 7 times per year. Please check an issue to start your subscription. Spring (April/May) June July August September October Winter (Nov/Dec)

Route 896, Strasburg, PA 17579 717-687-8511 TheAmishVillage.net GPS: 199 Hartman Bridge Road, Ronks, PA 17572

AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 11

When Quilts & Crafts Don’t Satisfy, Amish Country Still Delivers by Clinton Martin

A neat find at Country Creations, this piggy bowl can be filled with just about anything.

o offense to “Amish Country Ohio.” I’ve been there, and while there is “Amishy” stuff to do, when you’ve had your fill of buggies and bonnets, there just aren’t a whole lot of other options. Here in Lancaster, ours is an all-encompassing authentic encounter with the Amish community, while at the same time providing a myriad of world-class vacation experiences. Whether it is live theater, exhilarating roller coasters, jousting knights, fine art galleries or our awesome wine and craft beer scene, Amish Country here doesn’t just stop at quilts and crafts. Thankfully, neither does the shopping. Here you’ll find shopkeepers engaged in retail pursuits you simply won’t find anywhere else. The fact that northern Lancaster County’s Adamstown is known far and wide as “Antiques Capital USA” only proves fully that you can shop for days in Amish Country before setting foot on an Amish farm. Fine porcelein dolls catch collectors' eyes at Aimee & Daria's Doll Outlet.

Renninger’s Antique Market (717-336-2177) is one of the anchor properties in Adamstown, and also provides an excellent Sunday activity when much of Amish Country might be shuttered. Renninger’s sprawling market is easy to spot along Route 272, at 2500 N. Reading Road. But you don’t have to wait until Sunday to experience antique & collectible shopping worth writing home about. Cackleberry Farm Antique Mall (717-442-8805) along Lancaster’s Route 30 corridor at 3371 Lincoln Highway East (Paradise) has a huge assortment with over 125 dealers, while Brickerville Antiques (717-6260786) welcomes visitors at the Brickerville House Shops in the fascinatingly restored 1857 barn at the intersection of Routes 501 and 322, just five miles north of Lititz. If “What’s old is new again” doesn’t really get you excited, there is a shopping experience in Lancaster County that will surely fit your fancy and your pocketbook--where all the merchandise is brand new, fresh, trendy, stylish and luxurious, yet surprisingly affordable. That would be the Tanger Outlet Center (717-392-7260). Located on Route 30 East (311 Stanley K. Tanger Blvd.) in the heart of Lancaster County, Tanger Outlets offers the name brands you covet for outlet shopping at its best. Located across the street from Tanger Outlets at 2207 Lincoln Highway East, and perfectly situated to provide the male companion of the outlet shopper with something a little more interesting, is Sam’s Man Cave (717-394-6404). Sam’s offers not only a perfect host for chewing the fat a little (owner Sam May likes to talk

Breweriana with visitors), the merchandise encompasses all that any man would love to hang on the wall or otherwise decorate his own man cave. Sam’s may have you covered when it comes to outfitting the extreme man cave with great signs, steins, and neons, but for “extreme” folks who dress themselves to match their attitude, Amish Country delivers once again. Killer Hats (866443-7279) on Route 30 at 3000 Lincoln Highway East, provides a dizzying variety of ways to crown one’s head. The selection goes way beyond with apparel for morning, noon, day, and night featuring boots, belts, and all manner of leather. These aren't your gramma's or preppy styles. Need clothing to fit the tiniest members of your family? No, I’m not talking your kids – I’m talking your babies. Your doll babies, of course! Aimee & Daria’s Doll Outlet (717-687-8118) is the largest doll and doll accessory store within 1,000 miles. You’ll find over 5,000 dolls in stock, so yes, this isn’t a small store. On Route 30 at 2682 Lincoln Highway East (Ronks), expect two floors with dolls that fit in the palm of your hand up to dolls that stand five feet tall, and everything in between. If you’re passing up dolls and looking for something a little more to the point (if you’ll permit the pun), then Amish Country is one sharp place. Two miles east of Intercourse on Route 340 at 4134 Old Philadelphia Pike, Country Knives (717-768-3818) is one of the largest knife and edged tool stores along the East Coast with over 8,000 knives in stock from hundreds of worldwide manufacturers. The Huegel family, in business since 1976, provides customers with the amazing experience of actually holding extraordinary knives and cutlery in their hands prior to purchase. And finally, rounding out this treatise on nontraditional shopping in Amish Country, the subject of this issue’s featured cover story, Jake’s Country Trading Post (717-687-8980), offers a two-building, multi-level shopping experience that includes an outdoor shop stocking planters, statuary, sheds, play sets, and furniture, while bursting at the seams with incredible merchandise inside as well. Purses, shoes, apparel, country living home goods, officially licensed sports stuff, and a huge line of exclusive super-scented candles and potpourri.

Jake's Country Trading Post offers a wide variety of Amish-made wrought iron crafts.

12 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

Reader Contest -- Tell Us Your Holiday Stories... And Spend A Night Or Two In Luxury! by Brad Igou

s part of our annual Holiday issue, we decided to encourage our readers to share with us a special holiday memory, meal, or experience relating to Amish Country or a visit here. Maybe it was how delicious that warm cocoa tasted while walking around the amazing outdoor light display at Koziar’s Christmas Village. Or perhaps the happy phone call you received after sending a shoo fly pie from Dutch Haven to your uncle in Florida. Could it be that beautiful drive through the farmlands that you took after a light snow? Wait, I’m writing about some of MY holiday memories. Now it’s your turn. Please keep your entry to 250 words or less and submit to editor@amishnews.com with “Holiday Reader Contest” in the subject line. Or write us at PO Box 414, Bird-in-Hand, PA 17505. Deadline is January 31, 2014. Surely you'll want to return to Amish Country to take in the sights, feast on our foods, or do some anticipatory shopping for Christmas next year! The First Place Winner will receive a $200 gift certificate (valid through 2014) towards a stay at one of our favorite bed and breakfast inns, the historic Silverstone Inn & Suites. In addition, the winner receives two tickets for the Amish Experience SuperSaver tour. This package includes “Jacob's Choice” at the Amish Experience Theater, a tour of the Old Order Amish Country Homestead, and a 14-passenger shuttle tour of the Amish farmlands. Our Second Place Winner will also receive a $200 gift certificate redeemable for a stay at the Inn.

Silverstone offers nine luxurious, individually appointed guest rooms with marble tiled private baths, and full gourmet breakfasts. Built in 1750 on 15 acres of farmland, this gorgeous B&B is a perfect retreat for romance, history, elegance, serenity and privacy in the heart of Amish Country. To whet your appetite even more, visit SilverstoneInn.com.

So, here's your chance to recall a happy Amish Country memory, put it to your finest prose and, who knows, maybe you'll be spending a glorious night or two at Silverstone. We're quite sure that your memory bank will be fuller when you recall and share your story on your way to a B&B stay to remember!

Amish Quilts Crafting an American Icon Janneken Smucker “The extraordinary color plates reveal the beauty of Amish quilts, while the impeccably researched text reveals the complexity of this craft tradition.” —Janet Berlo, University of Rochester

The country's oldest, continually operating public, farmers market is located in Historic Downtown Lancaster Visit Lancaster Central Market 23 North Market Street, Lancaster, PA 17603 Open all year round Tuesdays and Fridays 6 am till 4 pm and Saturdays 6 am till 2 pm

“Smucker has woven together facts about a fascinating and complex people—their history and their quilts—and has completely pulled back the curtain (or should I say quilt?), like no one else before to reveal the inside history about collecting and commerce of these prized objects.” —Roderick Kiracofe, author of The American Quilt: A History of Cloth and Comfort, 1750–1950 288 page, 101 color photos, 5 b&w photos $34.95 hardcover • $34.95 ebook

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AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 13

In Business In Bird-in-Hand For 99 Years! For more information, call 717-768-7112 or see KauffmansFruitFarm.com

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f the many unique village names that dot the Amish Country map, one of the more interesting is Bird-in-Hand. William Penn, an English Quaker, had founded the colony of Penn’s Woods, and settlers began arriving from Europe in the early 1700’s, moving westward from Philadelphia. The trip by stagecoach, or Conestoga wagon with freight and merchandise, lasted several days. Inns were built every few miles, identified with signs held by an iron pole or attached to the side of the building. The reason for the signs was so that they could be understood by all nationalities. Further, since many teamsters or wagoneers were poorly

N. HARVEST DR.

MONTEREY RD WEAVERTOWN RD

CHURCH RD

Leacock Coleman Center

Plain & Fancy Farm Aaron & Jessica's Buggy Rides Amish Country Homestead Amish Country Tours Amish Experience Theater Amish View Inn & Suites Plain & Fancy Restaurant

Kauffman’s Fruit Farm & Market

Mt. Hope Wine Gallery

Bird-in-Han

IRIS

HTO

HARVEST DRIVE Zook’s Homemade Chicken Pies

LEACOCK RD

340

Petersheim’s Quilts & Fabrics

RONKS RD

Bird-In-Hand Bake Shop

RONKS RD

GIBBONS RD

Bird-In-Hand Farmers Market Bird-In-Hand Family Inn & Restaurant

BEECHDALE RD

Welcome to the Village of Bird-in-Hand 340

To Gordonville Bookstore

educated they could not read. Given orders to stop at a certain inn, they were able to do so by recognizing the artwork on the signboard. The legend of the naming of Bird-in-Hand dates to the time when the Old Philadelphia Pike was being laid out. By 1734, surveyors at McNabb’s Hotel were discussing whether they should stay at their present location or return to Lancaster to spend the night. One of them said, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” The sign in front of the inn, which became known as the Bird-inHand Inn, is known to have once "portrayed a man with a bird in his hand and a bush nearby, in which two birds were perched." Variations of this sign appear throughout the town today. McNabb’s Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1851. By the following year, a three-story hotel was built to replace it. More recently, it was Bitzer’s Hotel before becoming the present Village Inn of Bird-in-Hand, a beautiful bed and breakfast property. The Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County states that the

14 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

A special holiday message at the fire company in Bird-in-Hand. existing brick building “may be one of the few 19th century inns in the context of a small town in Lancaster County, which survives with a high degree of architectural integrity.” It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When referring to their bird in hand symbol, some residents say that the bird nestled in the human hand indicates friendship, comfort, and hospitality, all of which you’ll discover in this perfectly delightful little village of shops, farmers markets and eateries.

AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 15

Holiday celebrations often generate many treasured family photos. Scrapbooking them is fun and easy with a visit to Gordonville Bookstore.

Pennsylvania German Christmas Traditions

(Continued from Page 7) 1821 diary of Matthew Zahn, a Lancastrian. Undoubtedly, the Christmas tree tradition was brought to America by the German settlers and had become fairly common by the 1840’s. So you see, it may very well be that Amish Country is the home of the Christmas tree in America! Not everyone in the early 1900's had a tree, and many parlors in Lancaster were adorned with a Christmas bower. According to the National Christmas Center, which re-creates

one of these lost traditions, evergreen branches would be cut and affixed to a wooden or wire bower, then decorated with cotton, glass, or paper ornaments, such as hand-folded German stars, and sometimes a miniature town laid out beneath.

Candles One thing most of us associate with the holidays is candles! They have, of course, always been a part of Christmas celebrations. In Old World Germany, Martin Luther is credited as the first person to adorn a tree

16 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

with candles “to represent the glory and beauty of the stars above Bethlehem.” In Ireland, the custom was to “leave a candle burning in the window to light the way for the Christ Child on Christmas Eve.” It is interesting to note the ancient tradition in Europe of “illumination,” whereby the birthday of a prince was celebrated by placing candles in the windows. Visitors to Amish Country notice that we often have candles in our windows all year long. The practice apparently started many years ago when a local visitor home kept candles in its windows as a sign of welcome. The idea seemed to catch on, as people found the candles attractive, especially Continued on Page 20

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Dutchland Quilt Patch

Miller’s Smorgasbord

RONKS RD.

Welcome to Our Paradise PARADISE

Dutch Haven Jake’s Country Trading Post

LINCOLN HWY. EAST Killer Hats

isitors to Lancaster from the east on RT 30 travel through Paradise, which celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2012. The town’s story traces back to Europe over 300 years ago, to the area of the Palatinate in Germany where Protestants had settled following the declaration of King Louis XIV that all Protestants in France would be persecuted. Fearing a French invasion, many accepted the invitation to settle in the New World in William Penn’s colony of Penn’s Woods. By 1712, they had secured land in Lancaster’s Pequea Valley as the area’s first white people, living peaceably with local Indians.

741

Strasburg Rd.

S. Vintage Rd.

Historic Revere Tavern

To Wolf Rock Furniture To National Christmas Center Rainbow Cackleberry Dinner Theatre Farm Antique Mall

The origins of RT 30, also known as “Lincoln Highway,” date back to Lancaster’s Colonial days when the frontier county needed a highway to connect it with the provincial capital of Philadelphia. The first road that was constructed is now RT 340, still referred to as the “Old Philadelphia Pike.” Soon, it was apparent that this road was insufficient to handle the increasing traffic, and in 1790, a commission to survey a new route was created. Since the cost was too much for the state to undertake, the company charged with building it was given the power to demand “reasonable” tolls from users. Investors received dividends earned from tolls collected along the gates of the turnpike. (As the toll was paid, the gate or “pike” was turned, hence the term “turnpike”). The Act described the construction of the highway, which was to be a bed of small crushed stones on top with, rather than dirt, larger stones underneath to prevent carriage wheels from cutting into the soil. This revolutionary system of road construction is credited to a John McAdam, whose name became the term for paved or “macadam” roads. The "Lincoln Highway" (RT 30) opened in 1795 as the first long-distance, hard surfaced road in the country. Taverns and stagecoach stops grew up along the turnpike for weary travelers. Of these, the Revere Tavern, dating back to 1740 and originally called the

18 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

“Sign of the Spread Eagle”, still proudly stands today. In 1841, the tavern became the residence of Reverend Edward V. Buchanan and his wife Eliza Foster Buchanan. Eliza was the sister of Stephen Foster, whose immortal songs will always be a part of Americana. Foster not only penned music at the tavern, but sent many of his manuscripts to Eliza, also a talented musician, for her approval. On the banks of the Pequea Creek, Eliza and Stephen played many of Stephen’s 200 songs, including “Way Down Upon the Swanee River” and “Oh, Susanna.” Wherever you happen to call “paradise,” we hope that a little bit of our own Paradise won’t do you any harm!

Cackleberry Farm Antique Mall Special to Amish Country News

ooking for an experience, not just another antique mall? Cackleberry Farm Antique Mall is home to 26,000 square feet of antiques and collectibles, items such as furniture, glassware, sterling silver, advertising, jewelry, toys and much more displayed by over 125 dealers. For the nostalgic shopper, housed inside the antique mall is an Old Time General Store, full of vintage barber shop, ice cream parlor, hardware and drugstore memorabilia which will take you back to the Mom & Pop stores of years ago. Not Just Baskets, located next door to the Cackleberry Farm Antique Mall, carries a huge selection of

baskets, quilts, luxury gifts and everyday items to choose from. You can fill a basket with any assortment of treats from pottery to spice mixes, quilts to candles, cookbooks

Only Minutes Away From Everything Amish Country Has To Offer! to spa items – and have it all wrapped up in cellophane in a beautiful basket for a perfect gift. Or gather pet treats, dip and spice mixes and PA Dutch candies for your family, friends – even yourself.

Cackleberry Farm Antique Mall is located at 3371 Lincoln Highway East, Paradise, on Route 30, only minutes away from everywhere and everything Amish Country has to offer.

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AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 19

Aimee & Daria’s Doll Outlet… Helping Dolls Find Their Home by Clinton Martin

he dolls at Aimee & Daria’s Doll Outlet are never really home until they are “adopted” and taken to their new residence with a doting owner. Whether that owner is a child looking forward to hours and hours of play time, or a collector with a display of artist dolls, Aimee & Daria’s serves as a grand “doll-hotel,” caring for those cute bundles of joy until they find their new quarters. Aimee & Daria’s has it all -- a doll hair care salon (you can take classes), a baby doll nursery complete with adoption ceremonies (great photo opportunity), and, of course, a boutique full of doll clothing, accessories, spare parts, and furniture. There are over 5,000 dolls housed at Aimee & Daria’s, and they come in all shapes and sizes from many different manufacturers.

On a recent visit I was especially intrigued by a collection of Wizard of Oz dolls -- Dorothy, the Tin Man, Lion, and the Scarecrow. As it turns out these dolls are from the Seymour Mann Doll Company. This doll designer was very popular in the 1980s and 90s, and experts consider them highly collectible. The patriarch of the company, Seymour Mann, started the company with only one doll designer, his wife Eda. As the company grew, he was able to bring on more artists, with each doll, however, always designed by one single artist. The Mann dolls were always meant to be “connoisseur dolls.” Aimee & Daria’s has a full collection of Seymour Mann dolls along with many other readily DINING ROOM • BEDROOM • LIVING ROOM

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20 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

These dolls are nearly four feet tall, perfect for dress-up and princess play. recognized, respected brands. There are also plenty of lines offering ready-for-rowdy-play options to fit any family’s budget. As one who has always considered himself a “man’s man,” I urge both sexes to go to A & D’s and see the amazing selection for yourself. Aimee & Daria’s is located on Route 30 just east of Rockvale Outlets at 2682 Lincoln Hwy. East, Ronks PA, 17572. Call 717-687-8118 or visit dolloutlet. com for more information. Aimee & Daria’s is open every day, except for Mondays.

Pennsylvania German Christmas Traditions

(Continued from Page 16) in older homes. Tradition has thus allowed this nostalgic, warm look to be enjoyed by Lancastrians and visitors throughout the year.

The Star The Moravian religious community that settled in Lititz has preserved for us two particularly unique Christmas customs, the Moravian Star and the Christmas Putz. The beautiful 26-point Moravian Star has long been identified with Advent and Christmas. The star originated in the Moravian school handcraft sessions in Niesky, Germany in the mid-1800’s. Today the simple 26-point version is quite common and many are seen hanging and lighted at night on porches in Lititz. Many people are surprised to learn that the first Moravian Star was red and white, not the lovely soft white color seen today. Every Christmas, the Moravian Church in Lititz displays a spectacular 110-point star. The design came from Germany, was reproduced in Lititz, and first hung in the church in Continued on Page 33

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After a year of secrets and scandal, will this Amish community finally find peace under the bright promise of Christmas?

Also Available: the Days of Redemption Series ShelleyShepardGray AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 21

AV E

Free Parking Welcome Center Train Station

Lititz Springs Park

772

To Lancaster and

MAIN ST.

501

was to be Linden Hall, the oldest continuously operating residence school for girls in the United States. For one hundred years, Moravian church members were the only people permitted to live in the town. It was not until 1855 that non-Moravians were allowed to own their own homes. The complex of buildings comprising the Moravian congregation is well worth seeing, particularly the church built in 1787. A float from the 250th Grande Parade displays the beautiful Moravian Star.

22 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

Free Parking

Lititz Historical Foundation

Moravian Church Square

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery

LOCUST ST.

WATER ST.

LITITZ

CEDAR ST.

LIN

501

CEDAR ST.

Brickerville Antiques

N. STURGIS LANE (Parking)

TO BRICKERVILLE:

N. BROAD ST.

here really is no place quite like Lititz, and visitors should plan time there while in Amish Country. The Lititz story is tied to that of the Moravian faith in Bohemia. As was the case with other persecuted religious groups in Europe, many Moravians sought freedom in the New World, arriving in the early 1700’s, with settlements in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. In 1755 the town actually took the name Lititz, the German spelling for Lidice, where European reformers had taken refuge in the 15th century. Music and education were important to the Moravians. In fact, the Lititz schoolhouse erected in 1746 marked the beginnings of what

S. BROAD ST.

Historic Lititz • A Hometown Treasure 772

ORANGE STREET

One name is linked forever with the history of Lititz --- Julius Sturgis. It was Julius Sturgis who opened the first commercial pretzel bakery in the New World in Lititz. The year was 1861, and the site at 219 East Main Street is on the National Register of Historic Places. A tour of the bakery, still in operation, is unlike any other and well worth your time. Just recently, Lititz won Budget Travel's 2013 "Coolest Small Town in America" competition.

A Warm Hug From Nature Awaits at Eastland Alpaca Farm by Clinton Martin

nless you’ve played a record of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” backwards, you probably haven’t heard a verse lauding the cute and cuddly alpaca. An alpaca is a domesticated species of the South American “camelid.” They are similar in appearance to a llama, although smaller in stature. What is certain is that once you’ve met an alpaca up close for the first time, you’ll be singing their praises forevermore. They are just about the most endearing farm animal you could meet. A perfect fit for any petting zoo, alpacas are nonetheless far more than just cuddly eye-candy.

from Lancaster to the Manheim/Mount Joy exit, which is Route 772. Take a left at the end of the ramp and travel a quarter-mile. Turn right on Strickler Road. After a tenth of a mile, turn left on Elm Tree Road. Just shy of one mile, you’ll turn right on Milton Grove Road. Two miles later, you’ll turn left on Risser Mill Road. The farm entrance is off to the right. For specific hours and further information call the farm at (717) 653-2757 or go to eastlandalpacas.com.

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Alpacas have long been prized for their luxurious wool. Eastland Alpacas is one of Amish Country’s most distinct and memorable farms, raising a herd of alpacas on their 30 acres of pasture land. Throughout the year, they collect wool from their alpacas using it to stock an on-site farm boutique with raw fibers, spun threads, and all of the warm and cozy items you can craft from it. Coats, hats, gloves, mittens, socks, scarves, and such are available at this farm store unlike any other. While the store can be visited year round, the holidays are an especially good time to stop by Eastland Alpacas. The annual Farm Open House Celebration is held November 2, 3, 9, and 10, with extended hours for the boutique through December 30th. Beginning in January, the farm store is open every Saturday.

Friends of the Amish Country News family take Alpacas on a walk around Eastland Alpaca's Farm. Photo Credit: Al Paca.

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1886 Year the oldest carriage, still in use, at Aaron & Jessica's Buggy Rides was built.

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Discover the Amish Entrepreneurial Spirit on Your Shopping Adventure by Clinton Martin

Riehl’s Quilts & Crafts • (717) 656-0697

hoppers gone wild, retailers slashing prices -- if that’s what you’re looking for, get up at 2:00am Black Friday and head to the mall. But Amish Country will be just fine without all the fuss, just as it has been for generations. In fact, the many qualities that differentiate Amish Country from the hectic buyer’s battle that the holiday shopping season has become are precisely why visitors escape for a day, or three, here in Amish Country’s simpler, calmer environs.

ingenuity when it comes to electricity. Power drills can run off compressed air and diesel generators and pneumatics easily power saws and other equipment. Solar panels power the rest, again without the need to plug in to “the grid.”

Amish carriages sway with the gait of chestnut brown horses sauntering down less-traveled backroads, the sound of clipclopping hooves rhythmically echoing off the barns, silos, and homes of neighboring farms and small cottage industries. The crisp, cool air that has long since covered the now-fallow fields with frost only serves to make the smells wafting from the area’s small-town family-owned bakeries that much more inviting. There’s still “produce” in Amish Country these days. Pecks of peaches might not be in season, but apples and the pies in which they’ve been preserved and baked are hot, fresh, and irresistible out of the oven.

Amish family-owned bakery now in the second generation of ownership, making savory chicken, beef, and sausage pies in various sizes, available from their bakery. Follow your nose to 3194 Harvest Drive, Ronks.

Truth be told, there’s always been more to Amish Country than farms and, today more than ever before, there are many Plain families making a living at something other than tilling the soil. This is not totally new, as jobs off the farm had become common among the Amish forty years ago. However, a typical “lunch pail” job at a local factory or non-Amish employer is not how most of the non-farming Plain people put food on the table. Today there are literally hundreds of small, family-owned cottage industries that provide Amish families with a vocation while retaining a family togetherness that is only possible when you go to work by staying at home. Blacksmiths shoeing horses, carriage makers crafting the traditional black and grey buggies, and an Amish woman working needle and thread by lantern-light one stitch at a time are all easily worked into the patchwork of life in Amish Country. But, these readily recognized cottage industries are merely the tip of the hayloft here. Plain craftsmen make just about anything you can think of, provided it can be fashioned by hand, with minimal tools, and a little Amish

stocked hand-made quilt shop, with a whole room full of fabrics for the do-it-yourselfer. Sylvia has been in business long enough to serve generations of the same family at 2544 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bird-in-Hand.

At AMISH COUNTRY NEWS we’ve had the privilege of writing about a wide variety of Amish cottage industries. A few examples:

Zook’s Homemade Chicken Pies • (717) 768-0239

Witmer Quilt Shop • (717) 656-9526

This farm is one of the more photogenic places in Amish Country. Many scrapbooks contain a photo or two of the lane winding down to the farm. Quilts, crafts, and other handmades are available at the well-stocked on-site shop. Rather than convert the barn into a store, the Riehl’s built a very attractive shop specifically to display their crafts. Drive down the lane at 247 E. Eby Road, Leola.

Lapp’s Quilts & Crafts • (717) 687-8889 ext. 1 Hard to miss at 206 N. Star Road (Ronks) just north of Strasburg, Lapp’s Quilts & Crafts is clearly marked at the homestead of the Lapp family. The walk-in basement of the family home serves as the store, with dozens of handmade quilts by the family and their neighbors and friends, plus handcrafted toys and other gifts.

To be accurate, this shop isn’t operated by an Amish family. Their heritage is in the horseand-buggy-driving Mennonite faith. More pertinent to this article is that Witmer’s Quilt Shop is one of the original locally handmade quilt shops providing expert advice and information about quilts while also matching visitors with the hand-made piece of stitched art of their dreams. It all happens at 1076 W. Main Street, New Holland.

J&B Quilts & Crafts • (717) 687-8889 ext. 3

Wolf Rock Furniture • (717) 442-8990

By far the area’s best camping-gear store, recently moved into a much larger home on Route 340, Leacock Coleman Center is now located at 3029 Old Philadelphia Pike in Birdin-Hand. This Amish owned haven for the outdoorsman carries the complete catalogue of Coleman brand items along with plenty of other items including cast-iron cookware and tailgating supplies for fans of every sport.

Carpentry and woodworking proved a perfect fit for Amish who were seeking a profession away from farming. Wolf Rock Furniture is an Amish furniture workshop, whose showroom is located on site where the solidwood, handcrafted furniture is made. If you’re at all in the market, journey to 3533 Lincoln Highway East, Kinzers.

Smucker’s Quilts • (717) 656-8730 Quilts slowly became the focus of this former farming family’s business, though the setting of Smucker’s Quilts remains right on the farm. The barn now houses quilts, crafts, and plenty of fabric. At any given time there are usually two or three quilts that the Smucker ladies are working on, displayed for visitors to see in progress, at 117 N. Groffdale Road, New Holland.

Sylvia Petersheim Quilts & Fabrics • (717) 392-6404 This is a true cottage industry in that the home has become the showroom. Sylvia dedicates the walk-in basement of her home to a well-

24 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

A stone’s throw from Lapp's at 157 N. Star Road, J&B Quilts & Crafts provides further reason to point your car’s GPS in that direction. The quaint little shop at J&B is filled with plenty of quilts, but also features a selection of handmade dresses, locally made brass bell ornaments, and wooden toys.

Leacock Coleman Center • (717) 768-7174

Esh Handmade Quilts • (717) 768-8435 Well into the third generation of the Esh family, this farm continues as a working dairy. But the farm is about more than the milk. The Esh’s also operate a popular quilt shop attached to their home filled with quilts in all shapes and sizes. All are made locally by Amish and Mennonite ladies. Look for the quilts hanging outside (on Route 340 just one mile east of Intercourse) at 3829 Old Philadelphia Pike, Gordonville.

Esh Valley Quilts • (717) 442-8123 Some might argue whether this shop is closer to Strasburg or Paradise, but no matter which direction you travel along Route 741 to 853 Strasburg Road (Paradise), following the

lane up to Rachel Esh’s house is worth it for a spectacular look at some beautiful locally made quilts. Rachael has quilts sized to fit your child’s crib all the way up to extra-large king size quilts.

Gish’s Furniture • (717) 392-6080 While the business isn’t owned by an Amish family, all of the furniture pieces are created by Amish craftsmen. The Gish family provides a beautiful showroom to stage the fine furniture creations that come from small Amish workshops. The modern familiarity making the shopping experience easy is here, while the merchandise is as authentic as it gets. Stop in at 2191 Lincoln Highway East (Route 30), Lancaster.

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Country Housewares Store • (717) 556-0985 An Amish owned classic dry goods store which doesn’t necessarily change the way it does things simply because non-Amish visitors like to shop here. This Amish department store of sorts clearly caters to the Plain community, at the same time welcoming all shoppers to come by for lots of goods you just didn’t expect to find, and many you didn’t even think were available anymore. Browse the aisles at 589 Musser School Road, Leola.

Country Home Furniture • (717) 354-2329 Located at the Shady Maple Complex (for GPS use 1352 Main Street, East Earl Township), this store isn’t owned by Amish, but it wonderfully showcases their fine carpentry and furnituremaking skills. Country Home specializes in customizing furniture, built specifically to customers’ wishes. Amish craftsmen throughout the area work hard to earn the respect that comes from being exhibited at Country Home Furniture.

LANCASTER, PA Route 30 East 311 Stanley K. Tanger Blvd. (717) 392-7260 TangerOutlets.com

Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop • (717) 656-7947

Blue Ridge Furniture • (717) 445-6595

If there’s an activity that is synonymous with visiting Amish Country, it is noshing on freshly baked, delectable baked goods. The Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop at 542 Gibbons Road is one of the area’s most well-known and well-loved. The Miller family happens to be Mennonite, but the ladies who knead the dough and sift the flour come from all walks of Plain life.

The blue-collar craftsmen here wear straw hats, though they don’t all come to work by the same mode of transportation. In other words, Blue Ridge Furniture is a Mennoniteowned furniture manufactory that employees both Amish and Mennonite craftsmen. The furniture follows the Blue Ridge promise, “Everything beautiful.” Check it out for yourself at 2014 Main Street, Narvon.

AMISH TOUR TEE-SHIRTS In Bold Maﬁa Black

Price: $20.00 includes shipping and handling. Call 717.768.8400 ext. 211 with your Visa or Master Card. Specify quantity and size: small, medium, large, x-large, xx-large, or xxx-large. Online: AmishExperience.com. In person: Amish Experience Theater at Plain & Fancy Farm, RT 340 between Bird-In-Hand and Intercourse. AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 25

AMISH SERIES 2013 AMISH TECH: Plain Meets Modern Part 7

by Brad Igou

In the prior six articles of this 2013 Amish series, we’ve examined the Amish and technology from many angles. A new book, THE AMISH by Donald Kraybill, Karen Johnson-Weiner, and Steven Nolt, reveals the differences in Amish communities across America. The chapter devoted to the acceptance and use of technology is particularly absorbing and I highly recommend both the book and DVD of the PBS documentary. In the authors’ conclusion titled “The Future,” mention is made of a “playful essay” I wrote in response to the question posed by a visitor to an Amish friend of mine, “I wonder what Amish life will be like 100 years from now?” My Amish friend pointed to me with a smile and said, “That would be a good one for him to answer.” That comment got me thinking that first I would need to imagine what our lives and technology might be like a century from now. And so, this question inspired me to venture into the world of Amish science fiction, star date 2100. The authors comment “…Brad Igou speculates that, while the rest of the world flies about in airmobiles, the Amish will be driving rebuilt cars left over from the mid-2000s. We agree that Amish cars likely will not fly, but more importantly, we think that Igou is onto a key point about the Amish future and how they adapt: that is, that Amish identity is ever evolving as their practices change.” Here then is the complete two-part essay. I hope you enjoy it…

"The Amish in the Year 2100 A.D."

This may be one form of transportation now, but what about 100 years from now? Photo credit: Margaret Ahlum

one of us can really know what the future will bring, but we’re pretty sure that the Amish will always be “behind” the rest of the world. Yet, the Amish of today are quite different

from the Amish of 100, or even 50 years ago. Indeed, if an Amishman came back from the past, he might be shocked to see how his brethren live now. But it is their ability to adapt and change that has allowed them to survive and flourish in the 21st century. The Amish population in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, has doubled in the last 20 years or so. One Amishman even projected that at this rate there would be 480,000 Amish in Lancaster County before the year 2100 A.D. and one million twenty years later! He asks, “Lancaster, are you ready for that?” Let us suppose that the Amish have continued to live “behind the times.” Because of this, they continue to fascinate the people of the future and to attract visitors. So let’s have a little fun with all of this and imagine what our lives and those of the Amish might be like in 90 years or so.... *** In the year 2100, cars are relics from a bygone era. The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. opened its National Museum of the Automobile several years

26 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

ago in 2078, and it continues to attract large numbers of visitors. The visions of all of the old 1990’s science fiction movies have partly come true. We are all riding around in flying cars known as “airmobiles.” Naturally, any group of people like the Amish who continue to make use of cars, those archaic land machines on rubber tires, attracts many a curious visitor. So today we will take off in our airmobile and fly over to Lancaster’s Amish Country. Zooming over the huge sprawling city that makes up most of the northeastern United States, we begin to see patches of (could it be?)... farmland! Beyond modest stretches of forests and mountains that have been preserved, there is little in the way of open space anymore in this region. And with food grown almost entirely indoors, farms are pretty much the stuff of history books. The Amish had basically discontinued using the horse and buggy by 2060 A.D. Many experts were surprised they had held out that long. It seems that the first booming airmobiles frightened the horses more than the cars had on the roads. In time, the car, since it had begun to disappear, was hardly considered a worldly object. The Amish saw what was coming. As the “automobile” was being replaced by the “airmobile,” the Amish started buying up the last surviving car models. Needless to say, they got them dirt cheap. People were happy to find anyone who wanted to buy their cars. Indeed, the Amish have kept many of the last cars from the mid-21st century in superb condition… and become excellent mechanics to boot! Furthermore, seeing the demise of the car, the Amish started buying up the few remaining junkyards at bargain prices. (The Smithsonian people often come to them for advice and parts.) The car is as much a throwback now in the space age as the horse and buggy were in the automobile age. While sociologists predicted that the Amish would never survive if they switched to cars, they were wrong. In fact, the change to the car probably saved them. Just as in the old days, when a few rowdy Amish boys had cars, some rebellious Amish youth had begun to purchase secondhand airmobiles. There were many flying accidents. It was at this point that the church elders decided it was best to make the switch to cars and keep everyone “on Continued on Page 28

Sam’s Man Cave...The Name Says It All by Clinton Martin

stein manufacturer traveled a tumultuous path on the way to becoming one of the most popular beer stein makers in the world. The company started in 1848, though not under the current name. The first porcelain vessels that would later become steins came off the line under the name Ernst Bohne & Sons. In 1937, the company was renamed Albert Stahl & Co (Albert was the former accountant of Ernst Bohne & Sons.) For a brief time, the company was nationalized by the East German government, though eventually Albert Stahl & Co would return to business as usual. Their

claim to fame became making new steins using the original molds of Ernst Bohne as a base. Today, they continue to manufacture highly sought after, specialty hand-made porcelain steins and figures. You’ll find plenty of stein beauties from Albert Stahl & Co in stock, each looking for a home. Do yourself a favor and visit Sam’s Man Cave (you can tell, I do often) at 2207 Lincoln Hwy East (Rt. 30), Lancaster. Call 717-394-6404 for hours, or, visit online at samsmancave.com.

am May is not an artist. He doesn’t paint, sculpt, or draw. However, he is a master at the art of collecting. And, he collects just about anything you can think of to decorate a man cave. Sam’s instincts are rooted in “breweriana” which defines a huge variety of “collectible historical brewery advertising.” Think old-school tap handles, bottles, signs, bar displays, and of course steins. In fact, beer steins are one of Sam’s specialties. At last count, he’s offering over 900. Interested in taking a look at Sam’s Man Cave? Far from a hidden collection only open for public viewing once in a blue moon, here there’s no need to call and make an appointment; this Man Cave is open every day. By any standard, Sam’s prices are fair and his expert advice and information are always free and freely given.

our formu

la you As you browse the impressive t’s y selection, ha suppliers came and went can hear stories of how over the last 50 years, which steins were handmade in Germany, and which were imported from the Far East. How did Budweiser steins change when the company sold out to InBev? And, just whatever happened to Stegmaier Beer? On a recent visit, I was regaled with the tale of Albert Stahl & Co. This famous German beer

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AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 27

Amish Series

(Continued from Page 26)

Original artwork by Lorraine Sullo is her vision of the future playfully suggested by this essay. the ground.” What with flying airmobiles owned by just about everyone around them, the Amish finally accepted cars much as their grandparents had viewed the horse and buggy... as a method to preserve a way of life “in the world, but not of it.” In the old days, visitors in cars stopped at roadside stands and Amish businesses to buy things. Now with most people arriving by air in the comfort of their airmobile, the Amish have adapted to the space age by putting up large signs in the fields that can be read from the air. Landing pads were built so the airmobiles have a place to park when they visit. Just as buggy rides were popular with tourists in the late 20th century, many visitors now come to Lancaster to be taken on a car ride. Families are happy to pile into an old jalopy and have an Amishman take them on a brief driving tour. The tours are usually short because the pace is so slow that, after about 20-30 minutes, the novelty has worn off. It is certainly true that average space age kids are quickly bored on their brief fling with nostalgia. And this all brings us to farming. It was milk and cows that largely changed things for the Amish in the 21st century. Having purchased almost all the farmland that went up for sale in Lancaster, the Amish ended up with a virtual “monopoly” on

milk production. Synthetic milk just didn’t taste like the real thing. So, unlike the old days when it was difficult to make a living as a dairy farmer, Amish fortunes suddenly changed. The Amish became the world’s “experts” on cows and milk production. The end of the horse and buggy also meant the end of horses for farm work. When the growing of fruits and vegetables started moving into giant temperature controlled buildings, the Amish snatched up all forms of tractors. In the early 2000’s, it was organic foods that were the expensive items at the supermarket. Now, it is “land-grown” or “outdoor-grown” foods that command high prices. Buying these products “on the farm” saves the space age visitor money, and nearly everyone agrees the taste is far superior to the indoor grown and synthetic foods. Naturally, Amish restaurants are all the rage. It is quite a novelty to see foods prepared “from scratch” by human hands. The tastes are so unusual and highly prized that people fly in from all over the world to eat PA Dutch cooking. Indeed, so much farmland was being taken up for landing pad parking areas that the Amish elders put a limit on the number of Amish restaurants that would be allowed in the community! You need to make reservations weeks, even months, in advance. A popular attraction in Lancaster County

28 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

is the new Old Order Amish Country Homestead. Here visitors tour a typical Amish home of 2100 A.D. Electric lights and appliances arouse the most curiosity. The Amish community now generates its own electricity. The change to electricity actually came before the change to the car. Such quaint plug-in devices as electric lamps, stoves, refrigerators, irons, blenders, and old-fashioned word processors astound and fascinate visitors of all ages. After touring Lancaster’s Amish Country, most visitors go home saying that there are valuable lessons to be learned from these Amish, who live simply and traditionally as did people in the previous millennium. Some even tell their astonished grandchildren that they remember growing up this way! Others wonder if perhaps something has been lost with all the speed, technology, and progress that are now a part of our lifestyle in the year 2100 A.D. I think I finally get why the nostalgia for the “good old days” of 2013, the kind and peaceful people, the beautiful farmland vistas, the quaint automobile, and that delicious food grown “on the land” still make Amish Country a destination for visitors from all over the world.

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AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 29

Satisfying the Foodie’s Appetite for Gift Giving by Clinton Martin

Delicious Fancy Candy Pretzels from Intercourse Pretzel Factory

Dinner Suggestions from Revere Tavern

f there’s one reason people love coming to Amish Country, it is perhaps our smorgasbord of foods and dining options. Of course, return visitors know well the diversity of the everyday shopping experience here as well. For most, it is a combination of both that makes their time with us so memorable. It’s not surprising that shopping and food are often one and the same in Amish Country. It doesn’t hurt that we are the place known for making the Shoo Fly Pie famous. Bakeries throughout Amish Country prepare these sweet treats. Most would say you can’t really call yourself a signature Amish Country bakery without offering your own interpretation of the staple molasses pie. Dutch Haven (717-6870111), considered the place where the Shoo Fly Pie legend began, remains the area’s busiest baker of the pies -- 40,000 or so annually, lots of which are shipped directly from the bakery at 2857-A Lincoln Highway East, Ronks to eager customers across the country. Dutch Haven, recently named “One of the Ten Best Offbeat Sites in Pennsylvania Dutch Country” by the Huffington Post, is easy to find along Route 30, with its swinging windmill arms beckoning you inside for a free sample taste. Even sweets have their limits in our palates. Ideal complements are the area’s more savory products, including our exceptional artisanal cheeses. September Farm Cheese (610-2733552) offers samples of the award-winning varieties made right on the family’s farm. The brand new September Farm Cheese Country

Freshly Baked at Dutch Haven Shoo Fly Bakery

Store & Sandwich Shop is located along Route 322, just a few minutes east of Blue Ball at 5287 Horseshoe Pike, Honey Brook. Another farm family producing memorable cheeses is Groffdale Meadows Dairy (717-6562946) at 225 Voganville Road, New Holland. The natural aged cheese made with milk from their own grass fed cows is sure to add some exceptional variety to your holiday cheese platters. If you think you can’t find a locally made cheese to suit your palate in Amish Country, maybe you need to broaden your horizons a bit. While I might suggest a visit to cheese caves in Wisconsin and California, even Germany, Italy, France, and Holland, the real good news is that you can taste cheeses from them all with a stop at Town Clock Cheese Shop (717-442-9090) on Route 41 in Gap (5381 Bridge Street). As Amish Country’s multigeneration authority on cheese, Town Clock provides you with a selection of cheeses from all around the world, with a nice selection of local Lancaster County options too. There’s never a better time to visit Town Clock Cheese than now when the selection is its largest. Perfect with cheese is the salty, crunchy, snack that satisfies sweet, salty, savory tastes all at once --- there’s nothing like a good pretzel. Amish Country lays claim as the original home of pretzels in America. In small-town Lititz at 219 E. Main Street, you’ll find Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery (717-626-4354), the oldest commercially operated pretzel bakery in America. Here you can enjoy a tour and try your hand (better said, your fingers) at twisting

30 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

Where Cheese is Made, Sampled and Purchased - New Home of September Cheese

a pretzel. After your tour, you’ll want to linger a while and shop the gift shop. In addition to the pretzels, there are T-Shirts, other delicious treats and souvenirs, and locally made zesty mustards in various sizes perfect for pretzel dipping. Variations on pretzel shapes and tastes abound, and the tradition continues at Intercourse Pretzel Factory (717-768-3432), where the pretzel artisans hand-twist and bake the hearty snacks in a number of flavors, with readymade gift baskets and tins well-suited for giftgiving. The fabulous fancy chocolate covered and decorated pretzels are my favorites and perfect for that special person on your Holiday list. Finally, there are any number of family farms harvesting the bounty of Amish Country’s rich soil for cooking and canning. Kauffman’s Fruit Farm and Market (717-768-7112) is the place to go for orchard products, including crisp, fresh apples, and the famously delicious Kauffman apple cider pressed from Amish Country apples, plus local honey, jams and jellies. Located immediately west of Plain & Fancy Farm and the Amish Experience on Route 340 between Intercourse and Bird-in-Hand, be careful parking next to the horses and buggies you’ll likely find tied up at the hitching rail there!

40,000 Number of Shoo Fly Pies baked annually at Dutch Haven.

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V.I.P. means “Visit In Person,” you will have the unique opportunity to meet three of our Amish neighbors. Traveling in a comfortable shuttle bus, this exclusive tour is limited to 14 people to allow more personal contact, as we visit the Amish on the farm, at work, and at home.

Stop 1: Amish Farm at Milking Time. Observe the milking process. Discover “Amish electricity” as you learn that the Amish do not milk cows by hand. Stop 2: Amish “Cottage Industry.” As land for farming shrinks, more Amish turn to home businesses to balance work and family. We may visit a carriage-maker, carpet-loom shop, soap-maker, or cheese-maker for a personal talk and presentation. Stop 3: Visit An Amish Home. We’ll go to the home of one of our Amish neighbors for friendly conversation…a chance to sit, chat, and visit the Amish way. It's not surprising that strangers soon become friends.

Tours from the Amish Experience Theater at Plain & Fancy Farm Route 340, between Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays • Only in November Limited to 14 people. Departs 5:00PM Advance Reservations Recommended

717-768-8400 Ext.210 • www.AmishExperience.com AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 31

The Amish Experience Theater • 3121 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bird-in-Hand, PA 17505

Old Candle Barn Warms a Shopper’s Heart by Clinton Martin

LOW OUT THE LIGHTS, AND TURN ON THE CANDLES...much more than a slogan at the Old Candle Barn! Here there are literally hundreds of different scents, looks, lights, and styles of primitive lighting available at one of my favorite barn shops.

Photo Caption The Holidays are here at Old Candle Barn.

Many are the traditional light-the-wick variety, but you’ll also find a variety of battery-operated and plug-in versions for the matchstick-shy. Part of the romance for me has been knowing that under the historic floorboards of this PA Dutch barn is an actual working candle factory.

site. The candles are still made by hand, from pouring to dipping, the old-fashioned way by local craftsmen. When the workshop is in operation, visitors are welcome to observe the goings-on. Call (717) 768-3231 for current candle-making hours.

Yes, the Old Candle Barn makes many of the colorful, sweet-smelling tapers right on

Besides candles, the Old Candle Barn showcases many other ideas for decorating and warming your home. You’ll see them every day, but, if at all possible, don’t miss the Old Candle Barn’s much anticipated Holiday Celebration. This very special tribute to the Season will be held December 6 and 7 and marks the19th annual Holiday Celebration.

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32 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

You’ll enjoy a cup of hot mocha coffee while browsing through the aisles of Holiday cornucopia filled to the rafters with notions to beautify your home for the upcoming Season. My guess is that you’re likely to check off a few names on your gift list as you pass by and sample the oils, spreads, dips and other complimentary tasty treats offered among the Holiday displays. The Old Candle Barn is located in the village of Intercourse at the intersection of Newport Road (Route 772) and Old Philadelphia Pike (Route 340) on the north side of Old Philadelphia Pike. GPS address is 3551 Old Philadelphia Pike, Intercourse. For more information, call 717768-8926 or visit oldcandlebarn.com.

Pennsylvania German Christmas Traditions

(Continued from Page 20) 1980. You can also see a beautiful seven-foot Moravian Star year-round in our National Christmas Center, which is now featuring a special exhibit on PA Dutch Christmas customs with the opportunity to see many of the traditions I've been discussing.

The “Putz”

Another universal custom related to our Moravian friends in Lititz is the “putz”, the PA Dutch interpretation of the crèche, or Nativity scene. Related to the medieval mystery plays, the putz is thought to have originated to help children better appreciate the Christmas story. The word putz is from the German “putzen” for “to decorate, especially to adorn a church.” Originally, the putz consisted of wooden, clay, or tin figures arranged to depict the Nativity. There were other scenes displayed, including the Holy Family, the Annunciation, the shepherds in the hills, the three kings, and the flight to Egypt. It is said that such a putz, Continued on Page 46

AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 33

From the Horse's Mouth Part 3 Interview by Brad Igou

EDITOR’S NOTE: In our September and October issues we conducted the first-ever

interviews with Aaron, the namesake horse at Aaron & Jessica’s Buggy Rides. As comments came galloping into our email, we found we had enough questions for one final interview, particularly with the coming Holiday season. Join us as we again trot on over early one morning to the stables at Plain & Fancy Farm on Route 340 between Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse before Aaron begins another busy day of buggy rides. Brad: Thanks for agreeing to answer a few more questions.

locals and to see some mighty fine horses. Our driver, Emma, is from New Holland, by the way.

Aaron: No problem, as long as you don’t mind talking to me while I’m harnessing up for the first run of the day.

Brad: So not all of the drivers are men?

Brad: Last time we talked about some of the other horses. What can you tell me about the drivers? Aaron: Well, Jessica’s the one that started it all, of course, with me. That’s why it’s called Aaron & Jessica’s Buggy Rides! Brad: I suppose you’re the one that talked her into it? Aaron: Yep. We have a lot of great drivers. In fact, ours is the only area ride operated by Amish, Mennonites and Brethren. Of course, for our Amish drivers, this is their form of transportation every day. Brad: Tell me about some of them. Aaron: Benjamin, for example, is Old Order Amish with a farming background. Just like our other Amish drivers, he can tell visitors about “real Amish life.” Ezra has been driving with us since we started. He’s a real talker and helpful with great local places to visit. Elmer is Old Order Mennonite, and gives folks a different perspective of Plain life. Old Order Mennonites have a horse and buggy, too, but their buggy is black and squared off at the top, while Amish tops are gray and rounded at the corners. Mel has his own countryside harness shop, as well as one at the New Holland Sales Stable Grounds. Brad: Don’t they have horse auctions there? Aaron: They do indeed, on Mondays, and they are open to the public. It’s an interesting experience to go and rub shoulders with the

Aaron: Oh, no! Elizabeth, or Lizzie as we call her, grew up with about 20 horses and loves working with them. Actually, two of Jessica’s sisters, Sarah and Miriam, are also here sometimes working as drivers. Brad: How far back does Jessica’s family go? Aaron: I’ve heard that some of Jessica’s early ancestors were among the early settlers that landed in New Castle in the 1600’s, near the mouth of the Delaware River. In the years that followed, Jessica’s pioneer ancestors ventured west to Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Missouri. One of her Great Grandpas was born in 1865 and lived to be almost 100. Jessica’s immediate ancestors settled here in 1757. They’ve always had that “horse connection.” When Jessica was a little girl, she actually told her father that she wanted to give buggy rides. I guess she just needed to wait for me to come along. You might say I’m the one that finally drove her buggy! Brad: I noticed there are different kinds of buggies? Aaron: We do have the authentic Amish buggies, but also the market and spring wagons. Some are open on the sides and make it easy to enjoy the scenery as well as accommodating larger families or bus groups. You have taken a ride with us, right? Brad: Now you’re asking me the questions? Of course I have! I took the Cookie Run. I’d enjoyed the slow clip-clop pace and noticed things I didn’t when I drive in my car. We went past an orchard and down a private lane to an Amish farm where I bought some homemade cookies and root beer.

Aaron: That’s why it’s called the Cookie Run! It lasts about 20-25 minutes. Brad: But you have longer rides, too? Aaron: We have several rides and routes. I enjoy the longer Amish Farm Tour. It lasts close to an hour and we get off to visit a real Amish farm, see the cows, and maybe even the Clydesdale horses. And remember, we go out rain or shine! Brad: How is the ride different in the winter? Aaron: It’s not really. We travel the same routes and people enjoy snuggling close in our cozy, warm buggies! Brad: What about snowy days? Are there sleigh rides? Aaron: Well, we do sleigh rides when the weather permits. Of course, I usually pull the sleigh in a field when the roads are plowed. It’s best, though, to call ahead because it’s quite unpredictable as to whether I need my snowshoes on or not! Brad: So people can come at any time of the year and experience different scenery and farming activities? Aaron: That’s right. It’s never the same. I really enjoyed the autumn leaves this year, and now winter is with us. Farmland is so beautiful with a light blanket of snow. In the spring, the plowing and planting begins as the countryside turns green. And then in the summer it’s time for the 409 air-conditioning. Brad: What’s that? Aaron: Well, 409 air-conditioning is four wheels turning at nine miles an hour. Ha, ha, ha…get’s ‘em every time! Brad: I love a horse with a sense of humor. It’s been fun talking with you. Aaron: I’ve enjoyed you as well, Mr. Brad. In fact, I’d like to leave you with a little riddle. Why are all of our horses in such great shape? Brad: I give up. Aaron: Because we’re all on a stable diet! Aaron: OK, time for me to go to work. I see we already have some visitors waiting over by the covered bridge. Brad: Happy trails to you -- ‘til we meet again!

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Amish Country News Holiday & Winter Events Sampler

Through November 10 “Poe Evermore” December 4 - 23 “Dickens of a Christmas” Mount Hope Estate & Winery Through November Wanda Brunstetter’s HALF-STITCHED: THE MUSICAL Bird-in-Hand Stage Through November Amish Visit-In-Person Tours Amish Experience at Plain & Fancy Farm Through November Wine & Cheese Train Strasburg Rail Road

November 2,3,9,16 Farm Open Hose Celebration Eastland Alpacas November 2 – January 1 Christmas Light Display Koziar’s Christmas Village November 14 – December 23 A CHRISTMAS CAROL December 30 – February 8 HONKY TONK ANGELS February 13 – March 22 CAUGHT IN THE NET Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre November 15 – January 5 Annual Holiday Exhibit January 24 – April 27 “The Art of the Build: Rods and Kustoms” Antique Automobile Club Museum (AACA) November 16 – December 22 Breakfast with Santa HERSHEY’S Chocolate World November 22 - 24 “A Day Out With Thomas” November 29 – December 22 “Santa’s Paradise Express” Strasburg Rail Road November 29 – December 24 Visit with Santa National Christmas Center

Expires 12/31/13.

November 29-January 5 Christmas at the Choo Choo Barn December 6,13,20 Canned Food Fridays Choo Choo Barn

Flory’s Cottages Camping

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36 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

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Shameful Amish Mafia Season Two Hits New Low by Brad Igou

n September 24th, as the Second Season of Discovery Channel’s so-called “reality series” AMISH MAFIA was drawing to a close, the hourlong episode “Judgment Day” was devoted to answering viewer questions, providing a re-cap and, it appears, setting things up for a Season Three.

Breit offers the perspective on Amish youth that, “By numbers, they’re doing the same amount of this type of activity that mainstream American kids are doing today.”

Rather than try to review all that happened in Season Two, let’s look at some of the comments made during this episode and talk about a couple of the characters.

One of the psychologists interviewed in that segment, Dr. Jean Cirillo, was kind enough to speak with me a few days after the episode aired. I make no comment on her observations or conclusions. Her website notes that she has been seen on hundreds of national television shows. When I asked her to comment on the show, she said that she felt the “Amish Mafia” probably depicts a smaller group or sub-culture, and that the behavior portrayed is not representative of the majority of the Amish.

We begin with the assertion, yet again, that the cast members are Amish. Born to Amish parents, and because his name appears in the genealogy known as the FISHER BOOK, Lancaster Amish Mafia boss “Lebanon Levi” argues that of course he is Amish. The truth is that being born into an Amish family means nothing more than that. In the FISHER BOOK you find the names of people, including many not even born into Amish families, who are descendants of Amish dating from the 1700’s and 1800’s. So, Levi, why not tell the cameras that only by being baptized and making the lifelong commitment to family and community are you considered to be Amish? Amish is a religion, not an ethnic group. If Donald Trump had been born to Amish parents, left without ever having been baptized, and then forged his business empire, would we consider him Amish? I think not. Finally, the show’s producers have admitted (might our series had something to do with it?) that the actors are not baptized church members, although they fail to acknowledge that they are therefore not Amish. The fact that the characters speak the Pennsylvania Dutch (German) dialect creates the impression of their “Amishness.” However, there are many who speak the dialect, as did my Lutheran grandmother. Being Amish and having Amish background are two very different things. A few other random Mafia observations… Lebanon Levi administers Amish Aid? Money is indeed collected and administered in time of need by the church. Levi Stoltzfus, who in real life owns C&L Siding & Treated Decks in Richland, PA, has nothing to do with administering any aid to any Amish. Although, if you need siding work done, you can engage Levi when he isn’t busy with the

Significant time has been devoted to genetic disorders, psychological problems, and even an Amish rehab facility where “untrained people brainwash” the troubled.

show. His website is clsidingroofinganddecks. com. Business must be good, as evidenced by the internet posted photos of his cruise to St. Thomas. Whenever “Amish church” is mentioned, viewers see a church steeple and cross. Time for another “Amish Mafia” truth break -- the Amish have no church buildings. Nor do the Amish display or wear crosses. Amish

The Amish obviously can neither protest or boycott the Discovery Channel nor the sponsors of the series. They are the easiest of prey. districts choose their own ministers and bishops, and the Amish worship in each other’s homes. When local criminal defense attorney, Steve Breit, is asked about the existence of the “Amish Mafia,” he cleverly avoids a yes or no answer. “It’s not contrived. It’s not made up. The individuals on the show that I’ve represented have committed some serious criminal activity,” a real “reality” that the series has embraced and incorporated into its storylines. In a Nightline ABC-TV interview,

She added that every culture has an antisocial, even criminal, element and mentioned the Italian Mafia as an example. When I asked if she thought there really was an “Amish Mafia” she said, “There are always people who take it upon themselves to be a watchdog.” She explained that such groups allow for a permissive anti-social behavior otherwise frowned upon, at the same time providing a protective function for the community. This behavior set in Amish Country creates instant shock value as the unsavory characters we meet are either portrayed as, or somehow connected with the Amish, long seen as peaceful, non-confrontational people. Dr. Cirillo observed that “it is entertaining to show the lesser known variations of behavior in Amish society, otherwise it wouldn’t make for interesting TV.” An example of a “lesser known variation” (more an outright falsehood) would be the bare-knuckle fist fights we are led to believe are used to resolve Amish disputes. While for some it may make for good TV to witness hay bales arranged in a circle with a midget bringing down a man four times his size, such conflict resolution among the non-resistant Amish is so ludicrous as to defy explanation. In this final episode we meet a new character named Flip, introduced as the go-to man for organizing wild Amish parties. (When the parties were being filmed, local non-Amish Continued on Page 48

AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 37

You're invited to visit three of Lancaster’s premiere attractions, all at one location on the AAA designated Scenic Cultural Byway, Route 340, mid-way between Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse.

he year 2014 marks the 55th anniversary of Plain & Fancy Farm as the very first family-style restaurant. It remains a legendary dining experience. At the same time, Amish Country Tours (Dutchland Tours) began the first regularly scheduled tours for visitors through the scenic Amish farmlands. And 1959 also marked the opening of the Amish Country Homestead, the only Amish house tour designated a Heritage Site by Lancaster County.

Interpreting the ever-changing Amish culture respectfully and accurately is no easy task. The authenticity of the Amish Country Homestead resulted in its designation as the only Heritage Site Amish house tour in Lancaster County.

part of history as special effects, including an amazing technology called “Pepper’s Ghost,” combine with smoke, wind, rain, and fire effects in a wrap-around barnyard setting. A superb blending of entertainment and education, this touching and exciting production has moved some people to tears and children to exclaim “Wow!” This show, which has been called “400 years of history in 40 minutes of magic,” can only be seen here in Lancaster, so be sure to make it a part of your visit. (Shows on the hour.)

Where the Amish Live & Work

Amish Hi-Tech Amish House Tour Unravels Riddles Amish people wouldn’t appreciate visitors walking through their homes all day…nor would you! So the best way to see the inside of a house is on a tour. At the Amish Country Homestead, the staff is committed to interpreting the changing Amish lifestyle. Rather than a museum, it has the feel of a real, “lived in” home. Guides take visitors on a fascinating 45-minute tour through the nine rooms. Discover how church is held in the home and hear the singing. See how Mom does her laundry---with a gasoline engine! Upstairs learn about Plain dress, while the kids enjoy the marble rollers. The Fisher Amish Schoolroom is where you (or the kids) can sit at actual Amish school desks and learn how all eight grades are taught in one room. An Amish schoolteacher helped decorate the room to give it the feel of a real school. It’s all included in the house tour.

In 1995, a new concept in interpreting Amish life debuted when the Amish Experience F/X Theater became only the third “experiential” theater in North America. The goal of this oneof-a-kind project was to give a more personal, intimate view of the Amish, connecting past to present. Rather than a somber documentary, the story goes inside an Amish family as their son Jacob struggles to decide whether to remain in the Amish faith.

Visitors who simply drive around looking at Amish farms rarely come away with much insight into the unique culture that attracts people from around the world. Amish Country Tours provide certified guides to take visitors down the backroads, deep into the farmlands and scenery that is as beautiful now as it was 50 years ago. Guides offer fascinating information on one-room schools, farming practices, “cottage industries,” wedding customs, and more. Did you know there are Amish millionaires? But you are not just sitting on the 14-passenger shuttle the whole time. Whenever possible, a stop is made at an actual Amish farm. Other stops may include a local bakeshop, ACNJ

Amish Experience Theater

(717) 768-8400 Ext. 210 at Plain & Fancy Farm

3121 Old Philadelphia Pike • Rte 340 • Bird-in-Hand, PA 17505

An important missing link in most tellings of the Amish story is the persecution of the Anabaptists in Europe and the perilous journey to America. Rather than observe, visitors will now feel a

Amish Country Tours • FX Theater Amish Country Homestead 3121 Old Phildadelphia Pike • Bird-in-Hand, PA 17505-0414

717.768.8400 Ext. 210 • AmishExperience.com

Find us on

www.AmishExperience.com

Experience FX Theater

10am-5pm • Open 7 Days thru Nov. Also Dec. 7, 14, 21-31. Closed Thanksgiving & Christmas Days.

For greater savings, choose the Super Saver Package Valid up to four adults. Coupon valid for Amish Experience Theatre Only. Not valid with other coupons or offers. Must be presented at time of purchase. Expires 12/31/13.

Plain & Fancy — Farm to Table Since 1959 roadside stand, or craft shop. Having a guide is recommended over tape tours, which are often outdated and can never answer questions about special activities you may see that day. Purchase tickets for this 90-minute tour online at AmishExperience.com. Click on "Tickets" in the upper right hand corner of the page.

Where It All Began Over 50 years ago, Plain & Fancy Farm opened to provide delicious, authentic Amish meals to visitors from all over the world, the first family-style restaurant in Lancaster County. Since then, Plain & Fancy Farm has become not only a PA Dutch culinary delight, but has also added fun and interesting attractions such as the Amish Experience, Amish Country Tours, the Amish Country Homestead, and Aaron & Jessica’s Buggy Rides. The on-site Country Store offers excellent country shopping, and the newest addition to the property, Amish View Inn & Suites, welcomes visitors with luxurious lodging amidst all that Plain & Fancy has to offer.

A Lancaster Original Amos, Ben, Manny and Elmer are some of the Amish farmers who supply Plain & Fancy Farm Restaurant with the farm-fresh produce it serves on a daily basis. Depending on the season, sweet corn, tomatoes, watermelon, cabbage, broccoli, squash, peppers and onions are all sourced from farms within a horse-and-buggy’s drive. These neighbors, and the neighbors before them, have helped Plain & Fancy Farm Restaurant go “from farm to table” for over 50 years. The restaurant is AAA recommended, a PA Preferred and ServSafe award winner, and the Pennsylvania recipient of USA Today’s Great Plate Award.

The Amish Farm Feast Plain & Fancy Farm Restaurant is best known as Lancaster County’s original family-style restaurant. The all-you-can-eat Amish Farm Feast includes your entrees, side dishes, starters, desserts and beverages. Enjoy fried chicken, roast beef, chicken pot pie, baked sausage, real mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, green and yellow string beans, dried sweet corn, chow chow, cole slaw, raisin bread, rolls and apple butter, lemonade, iced tea, hot tea, coffee, sour cream apple crumb pie, shoo-fly pie and vanilla ice cream. It was this very meal that drew Man Vs. Food’s Adam Richman to Amish Country, who went behind the scenes in the Plain & Fancy kitchen for one of his popular show’s episodes.

The New “ala carte” Menu The restaurant also offers a new ala carte menu featuring mouth-watering appetizers, signature soups and salads, charbroiled burgers and

sandwiches, and made-from-scratch entrees and platters. The ala carte menu is also a great value with daily specials starting at $10 or less.

AmishView Inn & Suites

While you’re at Plain & Fancy Farm, you’re invited to stroll up and visit AmishView Inn & The Country Store Suites, a classically beautiful hotel that features Find books, DVDs, candles, souvenirs and local elegant accommodations and incredible views. handcrafts, and more. Explore The Country If time permits, a front desk representative can Store’s collection of traditional Amish clothing, provide you with a quick tour of the hotel. The straw hats, bonnets, toys and dolls, and discover indoor pool, fitness center, arcade, whirlpools new treasures to adorn your kitchen and home. and fireplaces make AmishView perfect for an You’ll find seasonal items as well as Christmas intimate getaway, family vacation, or corporate decorations, available year round. The store retreat. Complimentary hot country breakfast, also features Kauffman's Fruit Farm jams and wireless internet, HBO, DVD players, special • Holiday / Winterand 2014 • Amish Country News • 39 amenities kitchenettes come with every jellies, bakery freshAmishNews.com items from Miller’s Bakery,2013 and Plain & Fancy chow chow and apple butter. room.

Welcome to Intercourse PA INTERCOURSE Dutchland Quilt Patch

772

To Country Knives

Zook’s Old Fabrics Candle Store Barn

340

Esh Handmade Quilts

Intercourse Pretzel

HARVEST DRIVE

erhaps no other town in the entire country can claim its fame on just one simple thing --- its name. Harrison Ford drove a buggy past the road sign on a memorable visit in the Hollywood blockbuster hit of the movie "Witness." For years people have postmarked “Intercourse” on envelopes, and the jokes from visitors who travel through Bird-in-Hand to Intercourse are endless. There are several theories for the name, but that which we find most plausible follows. Around 1730, the Old Provincial Highway (now Route 340) was laid out to connect Philadelphia with Lancaster. Conestoga wagons hauled freight back and forth between the two cities. Providing rest for travelers and horses, taverns sprouted along the way, becoming centers for news, gossip, and commerce. The construction of a log tavern in 1754 at the intersection of Newport Road and the Highway took “Cross Keys” as its name.

QUEEN RD.

CENTER ST.

340

Best Western Intercourse Village Inn

OLD PHILA. PIKE

Factory

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To Gap

30 41

It remained such until 1814, when the name was changed to Intercourse as part of a failed real estate scheme of a Mr. George Brungard, who had acquired 48 acres of nearby land and attempted to lay out a town site and divide it into sections for sale by a lottery, advertising “151 handsome building lots of $250 each to be drawn for by number.” Renaming the town made sense, as intercourse had a common usage referring to the pleasant mutual fellowship and frequent intermingling which were so common in the informal atmosphere of the quiet country village. Over time, Brungard’s scheme begat others. As recently as 1971, an enterprising soul tried to take advantage of the town’s name by selling deeds for one-inch square plots of Intercourse to visitors. Creative, but nonetheless a failure. By 1880, Intercourse had a population of 280 with a post office that actually moved among stores or restaurants as owners hoped visits by residents would increase their business.

40 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

The local stagecoach service started around 1898 as “a single horse conveyance similar to a market wagon, with a roll-up curtain and double set of seats.” When the stagecoach driver knew of passengers beforehand, their comfort on cold days was added to with the placement of hot bricks heated in the oven, and wrapped in newspaper to preserve their warmth. As the days of the dirt road drew to a close, so too did the stagecoach era. In 1923 a transit company was organized and bus service initiated to and from Lancaster. While “many of the Amish residents of the area were eager to see the line started, they did not want to invest in stock of the Company. Instead they bought books of tickets which were really prepaid bus fares.” Enough money was raised to buy a Mack Auto Bus for $6,800. It held 25 passengers and even had solid rubber tires! Today Intercourse has been recognized as a “foodie” town by the PA Dutch Visitor’s Bureau. You'll soon discover why walking the streets of this tiny hamlet is an absolute mustvisit for everyone.

5,000 Knives in stock at Country Knives.

Brickerville Antiques Offers The Gift of History, One Piece at a Time by Clinton Martin

Photo Caption

ppreciate the past, shop today, and give a gift tomorrow that will last forever. This twisted time warp is indeed the case when shopping for antiques. Peering through decades of wear, care, and life on a fascinating object that was at one time an everyday piece of someone’s household is a sensation that is best felt when shopping at a well-stocked, properly climate-controlled antique shop. This is the time of the year for finding the perfect gift for the antique-lover on your Holiday list, providing you with fun today, and a great gift-giving experience later when you hopefully get to see the wrapping paper eagerly pulled aside. When I have someone on my list that appreciates a gift of the past, I head to Brickerville Antiques, located at the intersection of Routes 322 and 501, just north of Lititz. This wonderful antique “shop” is housed in a restored 1857 barn on the property of the Brickerville Family Restaurant. The complex also includes about a dozen other specialty shops. It is thus possible to spend a fascinating time shopping not only the great finds at Brickerville Antiques, but also looking around the other shops and fortifying yourself with a nice meal at the restaurant as well. There’s plenty of free parking, and you can shop seven days a week. I encourage you to mark your calendars for the festive and fun Brickerville House Specialty Shops Holiday Open House, November 14 – 16, 2013. Brickerville Antiques can be reached at (717) 626-0786 or on the web at brickervilleantiques.com. To point your GPS in the right direction, use 2 E. 28th Division Hwy, Lititz PA, 17543.

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2 LOCATIONS Village of Dutch Delights

Rt. 30, 1/4 Mile East of Miller’s Smorgasbord

Intercourse Store (No Fabric)

4134 Old Philadelphia Pike 2 Miles East of Intercourse on Rt. 340

717-768-3981

Hours: Monday - Saturday 9-5

717-687-0534

Look for the green sign on Rt. 340! 3453 Old Philadelphia Pike

Mon-Thur 9-6 ∙ Fri 9-8 ∙ Sat 9-7 ∙ Closed Sunday Shop On-Line at www.DutchlandQuilts.com

717-768-3818

www.countryknives.com

AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 41

Primitive Living and Country Shopping Go Hand-in-Hand in Amish Country by Clinton Martin

Handmade by a local Amish man, sleigh bells in many shapes and sizes are available at Riehl’s Quilts and Crafts.

mish Country charms with its sense of oldfashioned country living, even in some ways recalling the primitive way things used to be in Colonial days. While the area’s inns, bed and breakfasts, road-side diners and farmers markets might display this spirit with their décor, visitors capture the feeling of yesterday a little more with handson shopping at the area’s boutiques and country stores. In terms of longevity, one of the area’s most senior shops is the Old Candle Barn (717-7688926) in the village of Intercourse at 3552 Old Philadelphia Pike. Started by a Plain couple, John and Fannie Beiler in the late 1960s, the Old Candle Barn originally manufactured and sold candles in variety of store-made scents. As the decades went by, and a second family of ownership came along, the manufacturing line

continued with the same time-honored methods, though the selection, not to mention the size of the store, grew to include an impressive selection of primitive home decorations. Another name that speaks volumes about Amish Country’s primitive country shopping scene is Country Creations (717-687-8743). This two-story shop is chock full of great country merchandise, including in-house boutiques for fashionable women’s clothing and jewelry. Small home-decorating touches, quilts, décor and the ever en vogue Treenware are all on display here in what was once a dairy barn. The barn has been fully converted into this charming country store, with an atmosphere second to none, at 321 N. Star Road, Strasburg. For even more country shopping, a visit to Dutchland Quilt Patch is a must. This familyowned store actually has three area locations, so whether you find yourself on Route 340 in the village of Intercourse (3453 Old Philadelphia Pike, 717-768-3981), exploring small-town Lititz, or heading through Lancaster on Route 30 (1/4 mile east of Miller’s Smorgasbord, 717-687-0534), a stop is easily included in your itinerary. You’ll find many locally hand-made quilts, though fully customized quilts to order are offered if you would like to pick out the elements for your very own fine piece of one-of-a-kind handmade art. Dutchland Quilt Patch is also known for its extensive selection of primitive home lighting. For those who’d rather make their own primitive décor, particularly sewing their own quilts, a

visit to one of the area’s first and most respected sources for the do-it-yourselfer is a wise choice. That would be Zook’s Fabrics (717-768-8153). Located on Route 340 in the heart of the village of Intercourse (3535 Old Philadelphia Pike), you’ll find plenty of free parking right behind the store. Zook’s has an always-changing selection of fabrics, but you would be hard-pressed to stop in and not find something that fits your fancy. You’ll discover solid-color sturdy fabrics for the Plain crowd, along with plenty of trendy and whimsical fabrics for just about any project. If a trip to Zook’s Fabrics is not on your agenda, join Amish Country shoppers in the know at another very viable option without ever leaving the comfort of your home. Hamburger Woolen Company doesn’t possess a brick-and-mortar storefront, but shopping and shipping couldn’t be easier either over the phone or online. These fabric experts ship exactly what you need, even uniform grade fabrics for fire, police, and other first-responders. Reach Hamburger Woolen Company at 800-221-3464, or visit hamburgerwoolen.com.

42,000 Pounds Sammy the Snow Plow weighs, on display at the Antique Auto Museum of Hershey

co m

ZOOK’S FABRICS IN THE VILLAGE

on l

Th i

Mon-Sat 8am-5pm

-T

• Fabric • Books • Batting

42 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

tF a

(717) 768-8153 3535 Old Phila. Pike

OF INTERCOURSE

• Fabric • Sewing & Quilt Suplies Mon, Tues, Thurs 8-8, Wed, Fri, & Sat 8-5

(717) 336-2664

Sauder’s Fabrics

681 South Muddy Creek Rd. Denver, PA 17517

Enjoy An Authentic Lancaster County Dining Experience.

Good ’N Plenty Restaurant is proud to serve a unique dining experience since 1969. At Good ’N Plenty, we are pleased to offer our guests family style dining, menu dining, a takeout program, an award-winning bake shop and an extensive gift shop. At Good ’N Plenty Restaurant, we have something for everyone. We offer three ways for guests to enjoy our delicious food.

Family Style Dining

Our traditional all you can eat family style dining is our most popular dining option. Guests are seated at large tables, often with other restaurant guests and all the food is brought to the table by our experienced and friendly servers.

Menu Dining

Our menu dining option is perfect for guests with a smaller appetite who would like to dine at individual tables. In addition to all the Pennsylvania Dutch favorites, our menu features fresh-made soups, garden-fresh salads and made-to-order sandwiches.

Take-Out

Good ’N Plenty’s takeout program is ideal for busy people who want a delicious meal in a hurry. Place your take out order and we will have a tasty meal waiting for you.

Stop By Our Bakery & Gift Shop

Our world famous Good ’N Plenty bakery, located on the lower level, is filled with traditional PA Dutch favorites, seasonal treats and award-winning delights. Customers near and far comment on the incredible variety available at the Good ’N Plenty Gift Shop with something for everyone!

Serving Monday – Saturday 11:30 AM - 8:00 PM

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Rt 896, Smoketown 717-394-7111 goodnplenty.com

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Route 340, Bird In Hand, PA • 717-393-9674 AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 43

Welcome to New Holland • Blue Ball

Riehl’s Quilts & Crafts E. EBY ROAD

RD.

NVILLE VO G A

Groffdale Meadows Dairy

MAIN STREET Witmer’s Quilt Shop

Country Lane Quilt Shop

To Ephrata 322

897 23 RANCK AVE.

S. GROFFDALE RD.

N. GROFFDALE RD.

LEOLA

NEW HOLLAND

RAILROAD AVE.

Smucker’s Quilts

HILL RD. / WALLACE RD.

Flower and Home Marketplace

BLUE BALL

Country Home Blue Furniture Ridge Furniture

To September Farm Cheese

he instability in Europe in the late 1600’s spawned and nurtured the pioneer interest in the deep forest lands of Pennsylvania — 60 miles inland from Philadelphia. In 1681 William Penn received his 40,000 square-mile land grant to settle King Charles’ debt to his father. Himself a Quaker, Penn had experienced religious persecution firsthand, and decided to establish his American colony based on complete religious freedom.

This entire century had been one of continued misery for the peasants of the Palatinate (western Germany). The Thirty Years War had raged across the area with barbaric ruthlessness. The peasant inhabitants fled to nearby Holland for refuge. And within a decade of the end of that conflict, King Louis XIV of France started a new religious war in the same general area. These Palatinate peasants were exhausted by war’s desolation, and were ripe for a new start. Traveling land agents for William Penn’s new colony found listening ears. In addition to religious freedom and a peaceful existence, Penn offered cheap land. The stated price was 100 English pounds for 5,000 acres. (At today’s rate exchange, this would be less than $.04 an acre). By the year 1702, a goodly number of Palatinates had immigrated to Pennsylvania, and Queen Anne, newly reigning in England, was delighted that Penn was colonizing his immense grant without drawing off the population of Britain. The area today called New Holland was practically covered by virgin forests—sturdy timbers of oak, ash, chestnut, and walnut. By 1728, William Penn had been dead for 10 years and his American colony, called Pennsylvania, was being administered by a proprietary governor while the sale of land was formalized by patent deeds. In 1802, when a post office was established and an official name was necessary, there was no objection to naming the town New Holland. These grateful people remembered how extremely kind the inhabitants of Holland were to them, and the assistance that included funds to cover the cost of the refugee German immigrants’ ocean voyage. This was no small matter when the alternative was indentured service for a period of years. For adults, indenture frequently meant four to seven years of labor without pay. Minors served until their 21st birthday. But still, William Penn’s Quaker Pennsylvania was liberation compared to the Europe they fled seeking freedom of religion, assembly and speech for all, hopefully, none of which we take for granted today.

44 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

No Restaurant? No Ideas? No Big Deal...Zook’s Homemade Chicken Pies To The Rescue!

by Clinton Martin

ou’ve been traveling in Amish Country feeling bombarded with “eat here” messages. Surely it must seem like there’s a restaurant on every corner all claiming to offer authentic PA Dutch cooking. But, why not take a meal home with you and go “purist.” Allow me to suggest a delicious, filling, homemade, satisfying taste of Amish Country. Best of all, this meal will be in the comfort of your own home!

Now, keep in mind, Zook’s Homemade Chicken Pies is not a restaurant. It is a busy Amish-owned bakery producing chicken, beef, and sausage pies in sizes from small (individual meal) to extra large (feed the family) pies, all available in the small retail annex to the side of the bakery, frozen for travel.

Zook’s Homemade Chicken Pies is open daily, except Sundays and religious holidays. Set your GPS to 3194 Harvest Dr, Ronks PA, or call (you’ll need to leave a message) 717768-0239.

In other words, Zook’s Homemade Chicken Pies has already prepared dinner for you. Just pick one or more up (a fun backroad trip in itself), take it home, give it a good warming up and voila -- eating as good as you'll ever find in Amish Country.

AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 45

Pennsylvania German Christmas Traditions

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THE HAMBURGER WOOLEN COMPANY SERVING THE AMISH-MENNONITE COMMUNITIES SINCE 1940 Tailored to meet all your fabric needs. We stock all popular fabrics and want to be your fabric store and warehouse. We carry the following the fabrics: • Baby Ottoman & Diagonal Twill Double Knits • Ponti Double Knits • Tri-Knits

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1 46HWC-4.9375x4.75-FabricAd-10.3.13.indd • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

10/4/13 3:39 PM

(Continued from Page 33) with carved sheep and shepherd, was placed on display at the Moravian Female Seminary in 1761, perhaps making Lititz the home of the Christmas display of the Nativity scene in America. Today the making of the putz is often a family project. Decisions must be made on the background, which might involve live plants and paper painted to simulate rocks. There may be stars in the sky and angels suspended with black thread. The middle and foreground include the manger scene, often a cave, human figures, animals, moss, and occasionally running water. The idea is to depict a rolling countryside, a town and a lonely stable. People started to add replicas of their own homes, barns, schools and churches, until the putz became an elaborate display, centering on the birth of Christ, but often including other themes. The added figures were usually religious, such as Sir Galahad searching for the Holy Grail. Some today include the use of electricity, music, and narration, while others add trains to their "Christmas gardens." But the original putz was never to be garish, but rather intended to evoke a silent contemplation. Continued on Page 50

13 Years Strong!

isitors to Lancaster County love to experience the serenity of days gone by.

Part of this experience includes the delicious foods of the area and the handcrafted products of furniture artisans, including the still very much in demand Amish furniture. One place that offers both is the world famous Shady Maple complex. When Shady Maple Smorgasbord moved into a larger building across the parking lot a decade ago, the former restaurant building became home to one of the largest and best furniture stores in the area, Country Home Furniture. The store is now celebrating its 13th anniversary in business. According to management, "We like to think we're helping to preserve a little piece of America's furniture making history. Our craftsmen are steeped in tradition. They deeply care about their work." On two floors and 30,000 square feet of selling space in their retail store, you will find eight manufacturers of Americanmade sofas and recliners, made in North Carolina, Ohio and Mississippi, in addition to over 30 manufacturers of solid wood dining, bedroom, office, occasional and entertainment… and the area's largest selection of Amish furniture. The hardwood pieces come from American handcrafters and Amish builders in Ohio, Indiana and right here in Lancaster County. With hundreds of stylish products in traditional, transitional, modern and country looks on the floor, there is something for everyone. Unlike other stores where your only choices are what you see, at Country Home Furniture, you can have a hand in every facet of your design. That's the beauty of shopping there. Customers love the flexibility of having a piece made for them by selecting the wood, stain, hardware and fabric. If beautiful, quality, brand new, solid wood, American handcrafted furniture are important to you, then you owe it to yourself to explore Country Home Furniture. As they like to say, it's "worth the drive to the countryside" to come see the craftsmanship first hand, then enjoy your meal at Shady Maple Smorgasbord - two great things that make Lancaster County famous. Country Home Furniture is open Monday and Friday 10-7, Tuesday through Thursday 10-5, and Saturdays 9-5. The entire complex at Shady Maple is closed on Sundays.

For more information, call 717-354-2329, go online to www.chfs1.com or email sales@chfs1.com. GPS address is 1352 Main Street, East Earl Township, PA. 2 • Amish Country News • Spring 2013 • AmishNews.com

AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 47

Amish Mafia (Continued from Page 37) were being offered parts as “extras.”) Flip too apparently comes with a criminal record. It remains to be seen what his role will be next season. We also learn that “armed Amish” from Kentucky are being recruited to engage in the power struggle for control of the Lancaster Amish Mafia empire which, as I recall, is basically where we left things at the end of Season One. “Judgment Day” also gave us a further look at the producer’s fictional view of shunning, claiming that when someone is about to be shunned, a Bible is placed outside the transgressor’s door. Let me say flat out that the Amish would not treat a Bible in such manner --- thus, once again, concocting "fact" out of fiction in the interest of entertainment. Another scene has us observing members of the “Amish church” forcibly entering the home of a man being shunned and proceeding to sell off his belongings. This would, of course, be breaking the law and is but another figment of the imagination of producers. When we asked a local Amishman about this, he said sadly, “Where do they get these ideas?” Moving on, imagine our excitement as a number of men (in a white van with no license plate) chase down and kidnap wayward church members and take them away to impose Amish discipline. Really? Can anyone help me with another, better, stronger word for “ridiculous?” In this regard, much is made of the disappearance of Caleb, who had arrived at the beginning of Season Two as one

of Levi’s new henchmen. Being Brethren, he can “do things the Amish can’t do,” and thus became one of Levi’s enforcers. The handsome Caleb’s affair with “the bishop’s daughter” (as if there were only one bishop), led to Levi being criticized and to the conclusion that Caleb be disciplined. We hold our collective breath as we last see him spirited away in a black car and led into a remote barn by mysterious men wielding baseball bats. The producers claim not to know what happened to Caleb. They first became worried when Caleb didn’t show up for an interview. The shocking news at the end of the show was that no one has heard from Caleb. Levi refused to discuss his whereabouts or punishment. Is Caleb locked in a silo somewhere or, worse yet, was he thrown into the Susquehanna River wearing concrete boots never to be seen again? The investigative team here at AMISH COUNTRY NEWS, dispatching 20 of our best reporters and forensic scientists, aerial helicopters, search dogs and bloodhounds, and consulting a local gypsy of great repute from Lebanon has solved the Caleb Contrivance… I called Caleb’s father. He says he doesn’t watch AMISH MAFIA, and he laughed heartily when I asked him if knew his son was missing. “You don’t actually believe what they say on that show, do you?” No, but obviously some people do. So I asked if Caleb was OK. “Well, he was the last time I saw him.” I then asked when that was. Imagine my relief when he told me, “I saw him 30 minutes ago.”

48 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

So there you have it. The show aired on Tuesday, September 24th, and the very next day we had located Caleb. The producers’ investigative talents must surely be exhausted having to concoct such totally unreal, unbelievable scenarios and then losing sleep wondering if their audience might find any of it even remotely plausible. It will be interesting to see if Caleb shows up again. But, dear readers, if nothing else in my ramblings has been the least bit edifying, rest assured he is fine, and we know where to find him. Viewers far from Lancaster may find the series amusing, or believe some, or perhaps all, of what they see on AMISH MAFIA, which is being aired in Europe and, we hear, even in China. For us, we find it distasteful and nothing more than an inexcusable mockery of a peaceful, religious sect, with absolutely no conscious for what’s portrayed on the screen. The Amish obviously can neither protest or boycott the Discovery Channel nor the sponsors of the series. They are the easiest of prey. Indeed, without TVs, few Amish have ever seen an episode. The Discovery Channel’s disgraceful portrayal of the Amish cannot be compared to the physical torture their ancestors suffered centuries ago because of their religious beliefs. Yet, is this not a modern, subtle persecution that should bring shame to any of us who take the time to think about how a gentle, religious people who only wish to be left alone are presented to the rest of the world?

E D I N B I R D I

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A N D PE NN S Y LVA N I A

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AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 49

Pennsylvania German Christmas Traditions (Continued from Page 46)

“Belsnickel” Our modern Santa Claus, of course, evolved over many centuries to today's jolly old elf. December 6th was St. Nicholas Day in Catholic countries of Europe, and somehow the Rhineland area

became the center of a St. Nicholas cult. With the Reformation the saints days disappeared and Protestants changed the focus to Christmas Eve and the arrival of Beltznickel (Belsnickel). He was a figure to be feared, wearing a hat, wig, and long, heavy coat. In addition to his bag of

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goodies, he could also carry a switch to punish naughty children as they scrambled for treats. In the old tradition, this figure could visit at any time during Advent, arriving with ringing sleigh bells and gifts of nuts, candies, and fruits. John Joseph Stoudt described the tradition as follows... He throws the gifts on the floor, demanding a “piece” performed by the children. They have prepared for this for months, and they say a poem or sing a song. He remains stern, with grim, forbidding countenance. When Beltznickel’s whip rattled the windows, the children were frightened and he was a creature to be feared. Sunday School Festivals in the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside continue this tradition of saying a “piece” for him, even though he may not show up. “Kriss Kringle” actually evolved from the German for Christ Child (Christ-kindle). In the 1800’s, children were told it was the Christ Child who brought gifts for them at Christmas. Children left baskets of hay for His mule at the door on Christmas Eve. Apparently many Pennsylvania Germans were displeased as Kriss Kringle's name and identity changed and become associated with Santa Claus. In 1822, Clement C. Moore’s verses for “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” better known today as “The Night Before Christmas,” presented the fat, jolly man arriving from the skies. In 1862, famed illustrator Thomas Nast gave him further touches, and by 1886 Santa Claus had basically become the character we know today. The name “Santa Claus” seems to have come from the New York Dutch settlers’ “Sinter Klaus,” or St. Nicholas.

Our Heritage It is clear we owe a great deal to the Pennsylvania Germans who brought their customs to the New World. As Christmas becomes ever more commercialized with department stores now actually opening on Thanksgiving day, for me it's important to understand our special local heritage in the hope that we might hold on to the real meaning of the Holiday amidst the distractions, worldly symbols and modern images that take our minds and spirit elsewhere.

50 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

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ATTRACTIONS

Esh Handmade Quilts......................................... 40 Esh Valley Quilts.................................................... 18 Aaron & Jessica's Buggy Rides (S)................... 56 Flower and Home Marketplace........................ 29 Amish Country Homestead (S)................... 2, 38 Gish's Furniture & Amish Heirlooms .............. 32 Amish Country Tours (S)............................... 2, 31 Gordonville Bookstore........................................ 16 Amish Experience Theater (S)..................... 2, 38 Hamburger Woolen Company.......................... 46 Amish Village (S).................................................. 11 J & B Quilts and Crafts............................................8 Antique Automobile Museum (S)................... 50 Jake's Country Trading Post (S)...........................5 The Sequel to the NY Times Bestseller from Choo Choo Barn (S)...............................................9 Killer Hats (S)......................................................... 18 Dickens at Mount Hope (S).............................. 35 Lancaster Central Market................................... 13 Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre (S).........................6 Lapp’s Quilts & Crafts.............................................9 Dutch Haven (S)......................................................3

Wanda . Brunstetter Eastland Alpacas (S)............................................ 27

Hershey’s Chocolate World (S)........................ 50 Intercourse Pretzel Factory................................ 41 Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery.............................. 22 Koziar's Christmas Village (S)..............................7 Join Emma Yoder Miller, the Amish as she leads National Christmas Center (S).widow-turned-newlywed, ......................... another quilting class with 20 a new group of unlikely students, all with tattered National Toy Train Museum (S). ....................... 11mending. pieces of their lives that need Members of the patchwork group find Refreshing Canopy Ziplines Tour (S).............. 23 friendship, faith, healing, and restoration while gathered around their quilts, under Strasburg Rail Road (S)..........................................9 the Father’s guiding hands—for only He can take what’s ragged and shabby from Turkey Hill Experience (S).................................. the lives of His children and27 turn it into beauty for His glory. Verdant View Farm............................................... 11

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Leacock Coleman Center................................... 36 Li’l Country Store & Miniature Horse Farm.....................................8 Old Candle Barn................................................... 42 Omar & Sylvia Petersheim's Quilts & Fabrics... 14 Renninger's Antique Market (S)....................... 25 Riehl's Quilts & Crafts.......................................... 15 Sauder's Fabrics..................................................... 42 Sam's Man Cave.................................................... 33 Smucker's Quilts................................................... 45 Tanger Outlets (S)................................................ 25 Witmer Quilt Shop................................................ 45 Wolf Rock Furniture.............................................. 20 Zook's Fabric Store............................................... 42

What's Coming Up in Spring?

ur next issue in the Spring of 2014 will feature the many books being published about the Amish. From scholarly texts to the best-selling Amish romance novels which have literally exploded in popularity in the last few years, we’ll explore the reasons behind the Amish fiction rage. We'll also look at the world of quilts and crafts, highlighting the annual AQS Quilt Show in town. Like you, we’ll be looking forward to shaking off our winter chill and enjoying a new year of AMISH COUNTRY NEWS. Until then, our best wishes for a wonderful Holiday season and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop..................................... 14 Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant & Smorgasbord...................................................... 17 Don’t Miss Half-Stitched: The Musical, Now Good 'N Plenty (S)............................................... 43 Playing in Bird-in-Hand, PA and Sugarcreek, OH. Learn More at www.AmishQuiltingClub.com Groffdale Meadows Dairy.................................. 45 : Hershey Farm Restaurant and Inn (S)............ 10 Deadline W anda B runstetter . com Intercourse Village Olde Mill Restaurant....... 40 Iron Horse Inn (S)...................................................9 Kauffman's Fruit Farm......................................... 14 Miller's Smorgasbord (S).................................... 33 Mount Hope Wine & Beer Gallery (S)............ 49 Plain & Fancy Farm (S)........................................ 39 Revere Tavern (S)................................................. 18 September Farm Cheese.................................... 46 2013 Amish Co Town Clock Cheese Shoppe.............................. 16 untry News Union Barrel Works (S)..........................................7 Photo Contest Ours is one of the most photographed areas in the world. With so much beauty and variety around us, it’s no Zook's Homemade Chicken Pies..................... 16 wonder! If you think you’ve got a great photo, why not send it to us? The winner will recieve free tour and LODGING attraction tickets. In addition, you will see your photo in Best Western Premier Eden Resort (S).......... 35 the pages of Amish Country News! Other prizes will also Country Inn of Lancaster (S)............................. 36 go to the first, second, and third runners-up. Flory's Cottages & Camping (S)........................ 36 All submitted photos become the property of Amish Country News and the Amish Experience. Photos may also be used in upcoming issues, in other publications, and/or for other promotional purposes.

December 31st, 2013

Calling All Pho tographers!

SHOPPING

Aimee & Daria's Doll Outlet (S)....................... 32 Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market........................... 43 Blue Ridge Furniture............................................ 44 Brickerville Antiques (S)..................................... 23 Cackleberry Farm Antique Mall (S)................. 19 Country Creations....................................................8 Country Home Furniture.................................... 47 Country Houseware Stores................................ 46 Country Knives...................................................... 41 Dutchland Quilt Patch......................................... 41

Photos will be judged on quality, color, subject matter, etc. Keep in mind that these photos are for publication, cannot be returned, and should depict a scene, aspect, event, or activity typical to Lancaster or the Pennsylvania Dutch Country region. DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: December 31st, 2013 We will accept photos via email, and request that no more than 10 photos by the same person be submitted, so pick your best! Each photo submitted should contain the name, address, phone # and email address of the photographer, so they can be contacted. Any details on the location, date, or subject matter of the photograph should be included.

To enter, send photos in high resolution (300 dpi+) in .jpg or .tiff format to: editor@amishnews.com (Please put “2013 photo contest” in the subject line)

AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 51

To Hershey

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422 322

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52 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

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AmishNews.com • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • Amish Country News • 53

COVER STORY

Holiday 2013 Winter 2014

Jake’s Country Trading Post............................... 4

An Amish Christmas

FEATURE ARTICLES

Aaron & Jessica’s Buggy Rides....................... 34 Aimee & Daria’s Doll Outlet........................... 20 Amish Country Delivers................................... 12 Amish Entrepreneurial Spirit............................ 24 Amish Mafia.................................................... 37 Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant.......................... 6 Brickerville Antiques........................................ 41 Country Creations............................................ 10 Eastland Alpacas............................................. 23 Old Candle Barn.............................................. 32 PA Dutch Christmas Customs............................. 7 Primitive Living, Country Shopping.................. 42 Sam’s Man Cave.............................................. 27 Satisfying Foodies............................................ 30 Silverstone Inn Reader’s Contest...................... 13 Union Barrel Works........................................... 7 Zook’s Homemade Chicken Pies....................... 45

REGULAR FEATURES

Amish Experience............................................ 38 Brad Igou’s Amish Series ................................ 26 Cackleberry Farm Antique Mall ........................ 19 Country Home Furniture ................................. 47 Dutch Haven Lancaster Landmark ..................... 3 Event Sampler ................................................ 36 Plain & Fancy ............................................... 39 Publisher’s Message ....................................... 54

AREA MAP & GUIDES

Advertiser Index ............................................. 51 Amish Country Map ................................... 52-53 Bird-in-Hand ............................................. 14-17 Intercourse ................................................ 40-42 Lititz/Brickerville ....................................... 22-23 New Holland/Blue Ball................................ 44-47 Paradise..................................................... 18-20 Strasburg..................................................... 8-11

PO Box 414 • Bird-in-Hand • PA 17505 (717) 768-8400, Ext. 218

AmishNews.com Published by Dutchland Tours Inc. Brad Igou • Editor-in-Chief

brad@amishnews.com

Clinton Martin • Director: Sales & Marketing

clinton@amishnews.com

Kirk Simpson • Graphic Designer

For Advertising Information Contact

Clinton Martin (717) 768-8400 ext. 217. 500,000 copies distributed annually by subscription, and at over 400 motels, information centers and businesses in PA Dutch Country. Copyright ©2013. All contents of this magazine are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without prior approval of the publisher.

As December approaches, both young Amish “scholars” and parents anxiously look forward to the Christmas program in their one-room school. Perhaps the only time in their lives that Amish (of any age) perform on a stage, it is probably a tradition that carried over from the days of the public one-room schools. Each year I like to offer some new poems or songs that you might hear at one of these memorable programs. Out of the mouths of babes.... --- Brad Igou

This handmade card invites the parents to the annual school Christmas presentation. It makes us very happy To see you here today! We’re pleased you’re here to listen To what we have to say; We’ll try to entertain you And make you glad you came, While we exalt our Savior And glorify His name. You think I’m little? Well, and I am! And once the Lord was, too. But in this busy world of ours, There’s much a little child can do. My eyes can see for Jesus’ sake, My lips can sing his praise. My hands and feet can errands do In many helpful ways. And so you see a child can bring Good gifts of service to our King. Christmas is a time of secrets, So I’ll whisper one to you. Grandpa says that all who try it Find that every word is true. Grandpa says this little secret Should be carried through the year, And if everyone would try it, Earth would soon be full of cheer. Would you have a happy day? Give some happiness away! As shepherds watched their flocks One night upon a quiet hill, They heard a song from an angel band That told of peace, good will. The angels calmed their fears and said “Good News” it was they told; That Christ was born in Bethlehem Within a manger fold.

54 • Amish Country News • Holiday 2013 / Winter 2014 • AmishNews.com

Three wise men saw a gleaming star, And guided by its ray, They rode for many weary miles To where the Christ child lay. They worshipped Him and brought rich gifts Of frankincense and gold. And when they went back home the news To all their friends they told. As Joseph and Mary went along Through all the crowded town, They found no inn or quiet place Where Mary could lie down. At last within a manger place, They stopped to spend the night, And here the little King was born Beneath the bright starlight. We, too, can worship Him today As did the men of old, The gift of service is our myrrh, And love our gift of gold; Our frankincense is what we share With others in their needs, For did not Jesus say that we His little lambs should feed? I made my list for Christmas Of things I hoped to get. I could have added more; Dad would have paid the debt. I looked it over carefully, But plainly I could see, How very selfish I had been To want that all for me. I tore the list in tiny bits And started one anew. This one would be for others. The things I’d give and do. ‘Twas then I found true happiness When Jesus way I met; For Christmas is a giving time And not a time to get. Now that our program’s over, I came to say goodbye. And what I feel like doing Is heave a great big sigh. Take our mistakes as kisses; No harm was meant by them. I hope you did enjoy the day, So you will come again!

An uplifting collection of stories from leading Amish authors, BETH WISEMAN, RUTH REID, & MARY ELLIS.

-visit-

www.TNZFiction.com/Amish to start reading for free

Connect with us on : www.AmishLiving.com

thomas nelson & zondervan fiction

@tnzfiction

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