It's a classic Kodak moment, but for the photographer who didn't get the lens cap removed quickly enough, there's no need to fret. Here in LaGrange County, Ind., where four out of 10 residents are Old Order Amish, another photo-worthy buggy will be clip-clopping down the road in a matter of minutes.
No, the Amish won't stop what they're doing to pose for pictures — that's against their religion — but they truly don't mind if you take a snapshot or two while they're going about their business. And if you happen to meet one in a local shop, he or she will gladly take the time to chat in a Midwestern accent that bears no resemblance to their European ancestors'. Just be respectful and don't interrupt if that Amish person is already busy on his or her cellphone.
There may not be power lines running to their homes, but that doesn't mean the Amish who live in and around Shipshewana are disconnected from their non-Amish neighbors, whom they call the English. They mingle with them and the tens of thousands of tourists who visit each year on a daily basis. Many of the Amish men work in the northeast Indiana factories where recreational vehicles are built. Their children attend public schools with the English, at least until the eighth grade.
"They're very worldly because of that," explained Beth Thornburg, executive director of the LaGrange County Convention &Visitors Bureau.
Generally, the Amish women are left at home to tend to the more traditional and stereotypical jobs, such as quilting and cooking.
For Loretta Schlabach, that doesn't mean simply making dinner for her husband, Lavoyd, a welder, and their teenage son, Lyle. On most days during the warmer months, she's busy pulling together a feast for a dozen or more English.
The Schlabachs are a family who has teamed with Bill Miller, owner of Miller's Buggy Line Tours, to provide a delightful opportunity to meet and chat with some Amish people while enjoying a bountiful home-cooked meal.
"We thank you for this food," Miller says as he leads his guests in a premeal prayer. It's followed by a hearty "amen" from the 13 people seated around the Schlabachs' large dining room table, which is adorned with colorful dahlias.
Loretta is assisted by her husband and son in carrying from the kitchen seemingly endless platters of food. Served family-style, the meal consists of tossed salad, mashed potatoes, baked ham and chicken, noodles, green beans and freshly baked bread served with cinnamon butter and raspberry jam. There are various pies for dessert. Everything's delicious, plentiful and, of course, homemade.
The Schlabachs delight in chatting with visitors. The questions from the curious English, who this evening come from six states, mostly focus on the Amish lifestyle: things such as their simple clothing, the language they speak among themselves (Pennsylvania Dutch, a dialect derived from German, the word "Dutch" actually referring to "Deutsch") and their faith.
"I want to be Amish. My impression is that they got it right, and we got it wrong," said Crystal Mosher, a tourist from Port Huron, Mich., after the meal.
"I used to be really bewildered by them," she continued. "I just thought, 'Are they nuts? How do they expect their children to keep their faith?'
"I just felt that it was incredibly impractical and that they were just backward. But I don't believe that anymore. They have a peaceful, simple lifestyle, and I crave it," Mosher concluded.
"Once in a while, I'll hear that remark," Miller said. Visitors "admire the simplicity that they live by and also the humility they have toward each other.
"But then, when you stop and realize (an Amish family has) no car, no electricity, no TV (and) no radio, it doesn't take long for them to change their minds," he said of the visitors.
The interaction works two ways, according to Schlabach, who said she cooks dinner for about 1,000 English each summer. "I enjoy it," she said. "We learn a lot."
"They get it. They understand what a visitor is looking for," said the visitors bureau's Thornburg. They know "that visitors are willing to pay to see traditional Amish culture."
Within a few miles of Shipshewana are Amish homes selling everything from fresh produce to hickory rocking chairs to wind chimes. For the bigger-ticket items, many Amish vendors accept credit cards.
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