Amish in the News: Millie's Lemon Pie Bars, Big Amish Weddings, Cancelled, and More!

By Kevin Williams

It seems like most Amish in the news - and everywhere else - these days has some of tie-in to the "the virus."  Most Amish newspaper columnists, like their non-Amish counterparts, are talking about it.    First stop: Arthur, Illinois.

MILLIE'S LEMON PIE BARS:  Man, these lemon bars sound good.  Let's check in with Millie Otto this week, an Amish columnist in Arthur, Illinois, she is making face masks, but also sharing a recipe for amazing-sounding lemon pie bars.  Click here to check-in with Millie and get the recipe.

Amish wedding gathering outside Geneva, Indiana about 10 years ago

BIG AMISH WEDDINGS:   Amish couples - like non-Amish couples - are in a bind.  Hold the large fun wedding they had planned for months and run afoul of local stay-at-home ordinances that prohibit large gatherings or postpone the big day  and hope that this virus somehow runs its course. Neither of those options are overly appealing.  Big Amish weddings in Indiana have been causing concern. Click here.

BARNS AT NAPPANEE:  SIGH, not to be negative, but whoever thought the idea of changing the name "Amish Acres" to the "Barns at Nappanee" really needs to rethink.  "Amish Acres" is a name that is a tourist mainstay in northern Indiana and carries a lot of goodwill and history with it.  "The Barns at Nappanee" just sounds so generic or like an attempt to reach for a "higher class" name....whatever the reason, I think it is a misfire.  Whatever you want to call it, the tourist attraction in northern Indiana's Amish community is reopening this week.  Read more here.

Welcome to Arthur, basically closed down for COVID-19

AMISH HERITAGE CENTER CLOSED FOR 2020:  This is depressing, while The Barns at Nappanee reopens in Indiana, the Amish Heritage Center in Arthur, Illinois has basically thrown in the towel on the season, cancelling all events due to COVID-19.  Read more here.

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH CHOCOLATE CUT-OUT COOKIES:  Most holiday type cut-out cookies are made with a white sugar cookie recipe, but this is a chocolate version....can't go wrong with any type of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking or baking, take a look at this recipe!