Amish in the News: Stopping a Thief, More Hutterite Turkeys, Horse Dung Updates, Praline Pumpkin Torte and More

By Kevin Williams

A runaway blimp typically tethered off the coast of Maryland to help with national defense monitoring became unmoored last week and floated westward over Pennsylvania before landing in Amish country.  Thanks, Mona, for sharing the photo.  How creepy would it be to see that coming your way!

Runaway blimp must have been a curious site to some of the Amish (and non-Amish) in the area

HUTTERITE TURKEY PICTORIAL:  Check out more this week about homegrown Hutterite turkeys.  The Billings, Montana paper ran a photo essay about these prized birds. Click here to see.

STOPPING A THIEF:  Has anyone been to the Kidron Sports Center?  Sounds sort of like an "Amish Cabela's" or Bass Pro Shop.  To me the real academic value of this story was more the willingness of the Amish owner to employ cameras to catch a thief and to speak on camera himself.  There are some very liberal church districts in Holmes and Wayne Counties where cameras are far more welcome than in other Amish settlements. It's really interesting to me to see how this issue has evolved over the past quarter century. Click here to read thre story.

MILLIE'S PRALINE PUMPKIN TORTE:  Check out this rich-sounding recipe from Illinois Amish columnist, Millie Otto.  Click here to read about what is happening in Millie's world this week and get the recipe!

SIMPLY AMISH:  Check out the writing of Arlene Schmidt, an Old Order Amish woman that pens a twice monthly column for the New Castle, Indiana newspaper. Click here to read her latest.

HORSE DUNG ISSUES IN AMISH COUNTRY -   One battle appears to be coming to a close, another appears to be just ramping up.

UPDATE:  It appears that the Amish in and around Auburn, Kentucky are adhering to legally mandated "collection devices" on their horses...so, I guess that is a good thing although I feel like the Amish there were sort of bullied into doing so....Click here to read the latest.

LAGRANGE COUNTY, INDIANA: I'm just really surprised that this issue is rearing its head in such an established, large Amish community. Usually horse dung complaints are in areas that don't have a long history with the Amish. But Lagrange County? That is a head-scratcher.  A group of citizens there, though, seem bent on pursuing the issue.  Click here to read more.