YouTube Friday: Fascinating Funeral Scenes; Iced Maple Cookies, and Where Was This?

Welcome to YouTube Friday where we explore, view, and analyze some of the best and worst online footage of various Amish, Mennonite, and Plain pursuits.  This is tough because I do have to sift through a lot of clips. I never want to post anything where I feel like someone doesn't know they are being filmed close-up or is blatantly disrespectful, so it is a tricky balance.  There are some neat things this week.

AMISH FUNERAL SCENES:  This is some rare, amazing footage that I am sharing with you.  A man named Simon Kinsinger took this footage at his Aunt's funeral in Oakland, Maryland this past summer.  The footage is documentary-style, not disrespectful (but, see, that is a judgment call and that is what makes this tough..one person's disrespectful is another person's documentary). I also weighed in the fact that this footage was taken and uploaded by a family member and it's not like he was hiding taking this footage.  I am trying to reach Simon for more context, but in the meantime this is some fascinating footage.  I will say that Oakland,Maryland is a very unusual Amish settlement. I've never been there, but I have some contacts there.  They are horse-and-buggy Amish, but they are very progressive.  In fact, this is one of the few Amish congregations that actually worship in a formal church building and that is where this was filmed. Be sure to read the comments section, Simon gives a bit more insight there.   I did, by the way, also factor in the the "Oakland" element when deciding to post this.  If this were, say, footage from a Swartzentruber settlement or a more conservative Amish one, I probably would have passed, but Oakland is more open to outsiders. There are two tracks from the funeral.

Click here to watch the congregation singing a beautiful rendition of City of Light.

Click here to watched an abridged version of the funeral service itself and graveside service.

I love the sense of community that shows through and the beautiful backdrop of the western Maryland high country at the cemetery is stunning.

ICED MAPLE COOKIES:  This is from an "online cooking show" called Chow Time.  This show is set in Geauga County, Ohio and the first part of it is just a lot of PR stuff about Geauga County, but if you start watching at minute 6:38 you'll see Amish woman Emma Miller taking part in a fascinating/fun baking demo of homemade maple cookies.  Click here to watch.

BUGGY CLIP:  This is a 19-second buggy clip of a young Amish woman driving fast down a road. But where?  The buggy is gray, so that is Lancaster County style.  The setting looks familiar, like I have been there before, but I couldn't quite place it. Anyone recognize the town?