We went to the Amish Auction and Bake sale in our area to raise money for their.
By writersedge
@writersedge (22563)
United States
May 12, 2012 12:01pm CST
It's about 3 towns over, but we made the trek.
There were buggies, horses, rabbits, chickens, a goat and a donkey for auction. Lots of tools, ourdoor furniture. Shed, ice cream maker. Two large quilts and a smaller one. Two woven small rugs. Lots of pot holders. Firewodd, long boards, and rough cut boards.
Fried pies of your choice of lemon, apple, raspberry, and cherry. A pumpkin roll (actually was a pumpkin-like jelly roll only with cream in it). Cookies like chocolate chip and peanut butter chip. Powered sugered and cream filled rolls. a
In another area, there was water, soda, egg, cheese, and sausage on a bun. Lots of coffee and donuts. So you could have breakfast there. They had something for sandwiches, but we were there for breakfast and not for lunch.
They started the bidding with hackets and wood choppping stuff.
school.
It was fun, but the sun was too hot for me and the smoke from the outdoor grill where the sausages were being cooked bothered me.
It was fun to see 3 generations of Amish. The little children looked at us in wide-eyed wonder because they really don't get to see people in different clothing very often. I was surprised by how many Amish Men were wearing jeans. Some of the little children were wearing sneakers. Some of the women had white bonnets, some black bonnets, and some had knitted scarves that were probably squares folded into triangles and worn over their heads and tied under their chins. The men all had straw hats. I forgot about that when I wore my straw hat there. I'm used to seeing them in the winter hats. The rest of the clothing was pretty much what you see when you see them going down the road.
The winter buggies had plexiglass or glass to keep the cold out. I'm used to seeing the open air ones.
It was a very interesting day for all people.
So have you every been to an Auction or Bake sale? Have you ever been to ones to benefit a school? Have you been to any that were for a different culture from yours?
The Catholic Schools in our area have sometimes auctions, but often times bake sales and fun days.
3 people like this
8 responses
@savypat (20216)
• United States
12 May 12
When my children were small these were common events to help fund extra things for the schools or churches. Now with all the food laws the sales offer Christmas items and other handmade goodies. I try to go every once in a while just to keep myself active and maybe find a special gift or two. What I realy like are the cultural fairs, we have one for Chinese New Year, another for the the Native Americans, (Indians), We also have special contests for lumber jacks, those are
always fun and somewhat dangerous for the partisipants.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169603)
• United States
13 May 12
Our town makes a big industry of a Scottish Festival. It is expensive to get in, but it attracts a lot of both local and international talent. It got started because the Civil War General we are named after was of Scottish heritage.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
13 May 12
The Black Watch and many groups such as the Scottish Highland Pipers Canadian version were wonderful. Rots that we don't get to see them any more.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
13 May 12
I'd love to go to cultural fairs. I'd be broke because I'd be at them all. You and much2talk would have a wonderful time comparing notes.
The laws are making it rougher and rougher to put on anything with food here, too. Only baked goods can be brought from home. Everything must be made on site. Everyone must wear plastic gloves or vinal or latex. Custards can't be made or one pie crust pies. Every year thwere is another law. Now the people at the sales must take a class and be certified.
Used to be that a free sample of something was fine. Now you have to have a free sample license and make sure it's "Prominently displayed."
We have Woodsmen Days that are Lumberjack and chainsaw carving contests.
@rewardsinlife (1132)
• United States
12 May 12
The only Amish thing I have heard of was when they sold those indoor portable fire places! I had no idea that they had bake sales at their communities. Makes sense though!
2 people like this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
12 May 12
I would say that by the time we left, the auction/bake sale for the school was 50% Amish people and 50% others. The peole from outside the community had liscense plates from Vermont,Quebec Canada, and of course from New York State because that's where we were. They're in the outskirts of a country village in very northern NY state like close to the Canadian border.
1 person likes this
@KrauseHome (36445)
• United States
13 May 12
Well, whenever I have visited my family in Great Falls, MT I can remember seeing the Amish, or whatever they are referred to there selling a lot of their homemade stuff at some of the Farmers Markets, etc. and some of the homemade stuff is really good. I also know that when I last traveled on Amtrak there was a town we stopped at where you could get out and buy some fruit, etc. that had some homemade stuff made by the Amish. It is interesting to see how others often live.
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
13 May 12
The only other thing they could be is Mennonite. The clothing you can see the differeence often.
Some people in Pennsylvania call them Pennsylvania Dutch, I think, but they're old German.
Sounds like you had some good food from them. Their children were extremely well-behaved. They must have been told NOT to ask questions. All those people are guests.
It looked like all their clothes, were brand new and made for the occasion. It is very interesting to see how they live. I got a kick out of the sand box. Just like ours, complete with plastic pails and shovels.
@GardenGerty (169603)
• United States
13 May 12
We have both Mennonite and Amish people as well as Wesleyan. All are known for their modest, non worldly apparel. I have also seen a group with women in a scarf that looks homespun, but resembles the scarf a nun wears. I resist auctions but we have lots of places to buy Mennonite baked goods. We have a nearby newspaper that has a column like a blog by an Amish woman about her family. Near Easter we have the Mennonite Relief Sale that goes to provide disaster relief and charitable support all over the world. The church is big on accepting refugees and sponsoring them in the US and it also assimilates many of the foods of the people it accepts.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169603)
• United States
13 May 12
Kansas has a high population of Mennonites, probably because it was much like the land they left in Russia. They are of German heritage, but had settled in Russia to avoid going to war. Later, Russia began conscripting them so the people left everything that they had in excess,and their land and homes, bringing only supplies for their farming life style and the seeds for Hard Red Winter Wheat. That has been a boon for our entire bread industry as I understand it. They are a Pacifist people or part of the Peace Societies--just as Amish, Quaker, and Brethern are. The US was willing to respect that and we have benefited greatly from the craftsmanship and industry of the Mennonites.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
13 May 12
Interesting.
I see a Mennonite family every once in a while. I loved the clothing. Simple, yet really crisp, clean, and new looking.
Interesting the different head coverings, but them I love hats.
The auction is about the only thing I've heard of. I think they also have a bakery.
There is a Mennonite family that has an ice cream shop south of our small city.
Have never heard of a Mennonite Relief Sale. But with only about 3 families here, that may be why. The Amish have an entire ordinun (order or group like a town if they were altogether, but most own whatever land they can buy and often between the people who live here farms).
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
13 May 12
Yes, I know a great deal of Quaker history since it is taught in our history books. Also our area is known for the underground railroad. We have Quakers, but they look like everyone else. Modestly dressed, but stuff from regular stores. Go to regular schools, etc.
We have so many religions in the town I moved to that there are almost a church per road. The town I left, the Masons rebought their old place back.
Our North Country Cookbook includes Mennonite and Amish recipes. Most the other religions use cookbooks as a fundraisser, so they're not in the NC Cookbook. But wild foods and a now defunked commune's recipes are in it as well as some French Candian and Native American food.
1 person likes this
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
12 May 12
That sounds like an amazing day out, something I'd love to do.
We have very few 'days out' of this sort organised around here as we've a fairly low population density. We certainly don't see anything organised by the Amish, or by any other culture at all.
2 people like this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
13 May 12
This is the 5th year for the Amish doing the Auction and Bake sale.
Groups of all kinds organize all kinds of stuff here. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, our Fire Department, all kinds of groups. Esp. churches having rummage sales or clothes sales or bake sales or combinations. The Library has book sales and a bake sale. There is something almost every weekend that you can do here. The square dance club had a pancake breakfast as well as some other groups. All kinds of stuff like harvest dinners and so on.
@justcrafttalk (108)
• United States
12 May 12
I'm from PA
we have lots of Amish
and I've attended these since I was a kid
guess I'm pretty lucky because we still have Farmer's markets and Farm shows in this area too
never realized just how much life has changed since these events were commonplace
It's exciting and fun at these things
so for anyone who has a chance to go to one----GO!
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
13 May 12
Yes, it is definitely a lot of fun.
The guini hens were soooo loud. The horses were beautiful. It was rough for me to leave all those animals. I'd like some of them.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
13 May 12
There are some people that I know who lived on a road that had no electricity for many years. They were not Amish or Mennonites. I know other people who have electricity, but they're off grid. I know some who have electricity, but they have no tv.
Great that we're in a country where we're free to choose. We can decide what we do and do not want.
Some Amish choose to leave that life. Some do not.
@ElicBxn (64177)
• United States
13 May 12
Oh, I'm sure they have Hispanic events, but since I can't eat the food... I think there might be some Czech events too, I have gone to the New Braunfels Wurstfest in the past, but I can't eat those either... darn food allergies!
And, remember, Texas is a BIG state and we have everything from swamp to desert and everything between except tundra...
We have lots of lovely farms all over the state, east Texas has the piney woods, the Valley has borderline tropical vegetation... Its a BIG state!
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
13 May 12
Kind of hard to farm in the desert. I don't think they'll be moving their soon.
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
13 May 12
What about events to raise money for different kinds of schools or events held by different cultures? You must have something down there?
