| Page 2 of 2 < |
Twilight for Amish Market
At the Dutch Country Farmers Market in Burtonsville, baker Ben Stolzfus rolls out dough under the watchful eyes of his daughter Suzanne, 5.
(Photos By James M. Thresher -- The Washington Post)
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
The crowd the market draws is eclectic.
On a recent Thursday, three Montgomery firefighters waited at the rotisserie chicken and spareribs stand as a man in a business suit scoped out whoopie pies while chatting on a cellphone. An older couple savored their fried chicken, while a teenage girl dressed in black with heavy eyeliner and knee-high leather boots clomped out the door with a fresh pie.
Amish children -- the boys in straw hats and black pants held up with suspenders, the girls in dark, plain dresses, aprons and white caps -- clutched bags from the nearby CVS and played behind the baked-goods counter.
Dwight and Sondra Hyman said they've been driving from Hyattsville for 10 years for Beiler's bacon.
"I know it's coming from the farm," said Sondra Hyman, 65, as she waited at the counter. "I know what I'm getting."
Next to her, Mark Thrasher, 51, spoke up. "I love this place," Thrasher told Hyman. "They've got to find a place to go. They can't close up."
For many shoppers, the market -- one of several in Maryland (including one in Germantown and another in Annapolis) -- provides a connection with a private culture encountered most often from a distance as its horse-drawn buggies clop along Lancaster County roads. The Amish workers chat with customers but say they don't get many questions, such as: If Amish culture limits their use of modern conveniences such as electricity, why do they use the market's ovens, refrigerators and lights? Because, Beiler said, they're using them in a leased building. The same goes for the market telephones.
"You can't have gas lanterns hanging around and pass fire inspection," Beiler said.
He and other vendors said they hope their new home will be bigger to better handle the crowds. If the fervor of their current customers holds, the crowds will come, regardless of where they end up.
Mobile
Email