By Kevin Williams
Spring is a time when the emerald-colored hills of Holmes County, Ohio begin to stir with activity. Farm fields begin to see activity, buggies and bikes begin filling the roads in earnest. And, yes, the tourist buses begin to rumble down the roads. For me, the best way to explore Holmes County is to simple get behind the wheel and drive. Explore the twisty, turn-filled backroads and await scenes of colorful laundry on lines and horse-drawn farm machinery turning the fields. But the most enjoyable sights, to me, are just the everyday quirky ones. An Amish boy riding a skateboard or a buggy full of fishing poles headed for the lake.
Laundry blowing in a spring breeze at an Amish home in Holmes County. By 2020 this will be the first majority Amish county in the USA
This store outside of Berlin is one of the most unique ones in Amish Country. Owned by Robert Hershberger this shop has become a birder's gathering spot, selling top-of-the-line spotting scopes, binoculars, and more. My 3 1 /2 year -old daughter Aster loved their collection of clocks.
This is an Amish school but looks like there is the beginning of maybe a new one going up beside it? Not sure what that truss-type thing is...
Weekday afternoons in the spring and fall are great times to take a drive when all the Amish school kids head for home after a long day.
Amish schools dot the Holmes County country side. Some are public schools that generally serve a majority Amish population. This one looks like an Amish parochial school.
Patricia mccurry
I really enjoyed your glimpses of Holmes county ohio.I jinshed reading and amish trilogy by Serena B Miller.the first was and uncommon Grace and was made into a movie on Hallmark they lived in Holmes county ohio and some of the people were stretenburgersorry) sorry I fogot to write it down somewhere.I really enur columns about the amish and about yo.ur family
Sandy
Thank You Kevin for all your wonderful posts. I love reading about the Amish (and Mennonite) folk. I am reading a lot of books that include the Amish way of life. A lot by Marta Perry and several others. The scenery in Holmes County is beautiful as it the scenery I think Marta filmed in Lancaster County. I would love to visit these places but have to make do with what I can see on here as I am a LONG way away Down Under in Australia! ( G'day Kevin-:) ) Keep the wonderfully informative posts coming and also the very interesting recipes!
Kevin
Thank you so much, Sandy, so fun to have readers in Australia, we have a few that come here to Amish365. One reader in Perth, where are you?
Brenda Miller
Andy
From the scenes of Holmes County Ohio the frame at the school house I believe is a back stop for a softball field. My observation from having grown up as an Amish youth until I was 18 yrs old. I am 77 now and of course am no longer Amish. I am an avid reader of your Amish in the News and my wife likes to view the recipes. We live in Sherwood, Arkansas. I also do programs about the Amish and will be doing one at a Nazarene Church in Greenbrier, Arkansas 6:30 pm 8-9-17.
Andy Miller
Kevin
Andy, thanks for your insight onto the backstop, I'll have to look at the photo again. I'd love to hear one of your presentations! How did you end up in Arkansas? - Kevin