Amish Leben

Amish Life

Victorian House – Holidays at the Mansion

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Saturday evening I went to the open house, Holidays at the Mansion, at the Victorian House Museum in Millersburg Ohio. The mansion is an impressive structure with beautiful Queen Anne Victorian architecture. The event is sponsored by the Holmes County Historical Society and numerous area organizations and businesses who come in to decorate the mansion for the holidays. The event started at 7pm with [Read more…]

Charm Days

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Last weekend the weather was in top shape for Charm Days which is held in downtown Charm, Ohio. Charm is a very small, quaint little town but everything changes when Charm Days comes to town. This festival is very unique, nothing in the way of amusement park rides, but a lot of music, food, games, and contests for almost anyone to participate in. The proceeds from this event are all used for charitable purposes. This year benefit lunch stand and activities [Read more…]

Mt. Hope Farmers Produce Auction

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Today I was headed up past Fryburg, Ohio to visit an area business and I drove past the Mt. Hope Farmer’s Produce Auction near Mt. Hope, Ohio. I had been wanting to stop there, for a while now, to take some photos; so today was the day. The weather was beautiful this morning with a misty fog which cleared up mid-forenoon as the sun burned the fog away. The farmers auction is an interesting place to go just to watch the action. There was a lot of activity early on because [Read more…]

Harvest Fest Rib Cook-Off Berlin Ohio

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The annual Harvest Fest Rib Cook-Off and Parade was held Saturday in Berlin, Ohio. The smell of cooking barbeque ribs was already wafting through town by the time I got there late morning. Ribs are one of my favorite foods and I like them fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy with lots of barbeque sauce. Proceeds for the event go to a local charity, Every Woman’s House, an organization committed to providing housing and other services to abused women and children. The weather was superb and lots of folks hit the streets [Read more…]

Doughty Valley Steam Days

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Today I attended the 12th annual Doughty Valley Steam Days. This annual event is held between Berlin and Charm, Ohio next to the Guggisberg Swiss Inn. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the various power machinery demonstrations. When I was younger I remember my grandpa Erb had a great interest in these machines. At one time he owned an old Rumely steam tractor which he was very proud of. He also had a fascination with, and worked on, other heavy equipment including draglines and bulldozers. [Read more…]

Fabulous 50’s Fling Sugarcreek Ohio

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My daughters and my wife take me to the Fabulous 50’s Fling for father’s day every year. The event is held in downtown Sugarcreek, Ohio. This year was no exception and although showers were in the forecast it was a fabulous day on Saturday. This is a very fun event just to go hang out and there’s always plenty of classic cars and trucks, great food, awesome 50s/60s bands, fast and slow dancing, and chatting with people we know. My girls all like the older music so it’s great for the whole family. Of course it’s also [Read more…]

Keim Lumber Company – 100 years and counting

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Who would have guessed that what began as a very humble lumber mill operation in a sleepy little village in the middle of Ohio’s Amish country would some day grow into one of the biggest lumber yards in the nation? Well it happened and that company is Keim Lumber Company located in the still somewhat sleepy little village of Charm (Putchtown), Ohio. The company is celebrating its 100 year anniversary which began in May of last year. This week Keim’s 100 year anniversary sale [Read more…]

Unser Leit – The story of the Amish – by Leroy Beachy

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I had a very special opportunity last week to discover a treasure that has been in the making for well over 20 years. In the process of contacting quite a few store owners in the Berlin area I was led to Eli (Small) Hochstetler, owner and operator of the Gospel Bookstore in Berlin, Ohio. Small and his wife, Vesta, and I go back quite a few years. They are both interesting people and I enjoy talking with them now and then when we connect somewhere. In the process of one of our interesting conversations, Small starts telling me about a new book that has been written about the Amish and that the author is none other than Leroy Beachy. [Read more…]