When I was growing up, there was an Amish community in Conewango. There was a cheese plant there to which Amish farmers could sell their milk. Since the Amish did not use electricity for cooling milk, they needed to get it to the cheese plant quickly and early on a daily basis.

Today, Amish country…like everything else… has changed. There are not as many Amish dairy farmers. Yet, there are many more Amish living amongst us.

Most of them that I know are carpenters, woodworkers, loggers or in various ways involved in construction. What has remained is that they are hard-workers, good neighbors and reliable taxpayers. They are also faithful, Christian people.

This does not mean that I agree with all the Amish ways. The one verity in their culture which doesn’t suit me is the decision to stop all formal education for their children after the eighth grade. I know how smart some of these kids are, and I wish that some of them would go on to become doctors, lawyers, judges and such.

The rest of society would benefit if they were allowed a higher education.

Nevertheless, the Amish are a good and growing part of our community. There are now significant Amish communities in the Hartfield area, in Clymer and Sherman and in the Busti-Sugar Grove area. Each has its own system of churchgoing governance with what we “Englishmen” would call a “bishop” as leader. This is actually a recognized lay person who is chosen to lead a particular Amish community. There are Amish schools associated with each of these communities.

One of the Amish traditions which I find especially admirable is their focus on taking one day a week off from the “hum-drum” of everyday life. Sunday is not to be a day of work or frolicking. As I understand it, the Amish gather together every other week for worship. However, on the off-week, they honor the Sabbath in what they call a “day of rest.”

They worship at home, but continue to abide by the Biblical admonition that Sunday is “the Lord’s Day.”

You need to be careful driving in Amish country because they drive with horse-and-buggy, not cars. The various Amish customs of not using electricity from the grid and of denying themselves modern conveniences (like cars) is related to keeping their “separateness” from our secular society. Yet, the particular ways this works out varies from one Amish community to the other. For example, I have seen solar panels and sometimes propane tanks in some, but not all, Amish neighborhoods.

Because of these old-fashioned traditions, most Amish families need to hire an “English” driver to get them to the grocery store, the bank and often to work. This “Englishman” might actually be a woman, but, in any case, these individuals are paid for their services which also usually include a connection to a cell phone for communications.

Thus, if you are looking for an Amish person to hire for work or their skills…it is good to know the Englishman’s phone number.

I am guessing, but it seems to me that in some rural areas of Clymer and Sherman, perhaps half of the population is now Amish. Because they are good taxpaying citizens, that helps the rest of us… whether it be for paying for schools, roads, public safety or any of the other amenities that we expect from our local government.

It is interesting and stimulating to live amongst the Amish. It is another plus for why I like living around here!

Rolland Kidder is a former state assemblyman and Stow resident.