Pennsylvania

In yearly Pennsylvania tradition, Amish communities hold spring auctions to support fire departments

Published

2 years ago

March 13, 2024

In yearly Pennsylvania tradition, Amish communities hold spring auctions to support fire departments

A couple hundred used buggies — horses not included — were lined up and ready for the auctioneer’s gavel last weekend when day began at the Gordonville mud sale, a local Amish tradition dating to the 1960s.

Mud sales are country auctions that benefit volunteer fire departments across what the Amish community refers to as the Lancaster settlement, located some 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Philadelphia where the devout Christian group began to settle about 300 years ago.

They don’t sell mud, although a cold rain brought plenty of it. The name refers to early spring, when wet fields have begun to thaw but may not be ready for the plow. Gordonville’s mud sale, one of at least a dozen being held this spring in the region, drew thousands of bidders and was expected to net the fire department about $100,000, about 10% of the total proceeds.

Amish people make and donate much of the food and sale items and are the buyers of most of the buggies and the array of horse-drawn farm equipment. They organize and run sales, often serving as auctioneers.

Michael and Kristen Dean, a couple from Oxford, Pennsylvania, said Saturday they were enjoying a fun day of mixing with Amish people in hopes of finding a bargain on used fencing. The Deans are regulars at Lancaster County mud sales and a week earlier had purchased a greenhouse at the Bart Township Fire Company mud sale in Quarryville.

“It’s bigger than you think when you’re trying to get it on a truck bed,” Kristen Dean said.

George Olivio drove about 90 minutes from his home in Rosenhayn, New Jersey, to seek deals among the tools and hunting gear. As he carried chicken corn soup, horseradish and shoofly pie to his vehicle, Olivio recalled how the Amish people seemed less welcoming at his first Gordonville sale about 40 years ago.

“When I first started coming, they were very standoffish. Now most of them are pretty doggone friendly,” Olivio said.

Gideon Fisher, who chairs the Gordonville mud sale committee, said that as more fellow Amish people have sought work off the farm, there has been a shift in interactions with others. He sees it as a good thing.

“You know, 50 years or 100 years ago, probably most of the Amish were farmers. And now today there’s a lot of them going out — roofing, construction, all kinds of other jobs,” Fisher said. “It’s becoming more usual — we’re mingling.”

The first mud sale was apparently held in 1965 by the Bart Township Fire Company, roughly 6 miles (10 kilometers) south of Gordonville, according to Steve Nolt, director of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at nearby Elizabethtown College. Within about a decade, similar sales had sprung up in Gordonville, Farmersville, Strasburg and Gap.

The social aspect of the event is unmistakable, with Amish adults greeting old friends warmly and discussing the price of milk and the relative merits of used scooters, rusty wagon parts and fresh doughnuts. Clusters of children roam the grounds, some pulling wagons to help buyers move heavy goods to their cars, others swarming stands selling candy and baseball cards.

From inside a trailer built by her bishop, the title of local Amish church leaders, Sadie S. King’s wares included scrapple, homemade bologna and six quarts of her own horseradish. She lives about a mile and a half from the fire hall and has plenty of reasons to support the cause — Gordonville firefighters have helped put out her own shed fires.

A hand-drawn sign advertised catnip for $1 a bag. “Oh yeah, I sell a lot of that,” King said.

Among the bidders on Saturday, Amish buyers were concentrated in the open field where some of the used buggies that can run as much as $16,000 new were going for a few thousand dollars. Amish people from Wisconsin bought 15 of the buggies, and on Monday they removed the wheels as they loaded them and other purchases into a tractor-trailer to ship home.

A more mixed crowd of Amish and non-Amish bidders were wedged into tents selling tools and other farm goods, with prices like $200 for a leather harness and $10 for an old pitchfork. Sale items included a row of 12 forklifts, industrial sized air compressors, a small sea of lawn furniture and, in the crafts tent, handmade wooden birdhouses of every size and description.

Near the fire hall were auctions of antiques, used furniture and plants — and mostly non-Amish bidders. About 400 quilts and a variety of books were auctioned off in the fire hall’s main vehicle bay. Downstairs in the basement, Amish women were doing a brisk business in $2 hot dogs, $4 breakfast sandwiches and seemingly every flavor of pie.

In recent years, Gordonville’s sale has grossed more than a million dollars.

It no longer sells used firearms and the sales of horses and other animals ended during the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers also needed more parking, so they pulled the plug on games of corner ball, a dodgeball-like sport enjoyed by Amish boys and known as Eck balle in the Pennsylvania Dutch language.

In booming Lancaster, among the fastest growing counties in Pennsylvania, large Amish families and the cost of farmland has put pressure on the traditional lives they prefer. Weak milk prices are also forcing change.

Jeff Stoltzfus, a Penn State Extension educator, said that over the past 15 years, some Amish farmers in Lancaster have traded in dairy farming to focus on vegetable farming.

“I would say of our commercial vegetable farmers in the state, probably 60 to 70% are probably going to be plain community folks,” he said.

There are signs the Amish people in Lancaster are determined to remain amid their half-million neighbors in Lancaster County. The Lancaster settlement extends into neighboring Chester County with smaller numbers in Berks and Dauphin counties in Pennsylvania and Cecil County, Maryland. It has grown from 95 church districts and more than 16,000 people in 1990 to 257 districts and 44,000 last year, Nolt said.

The rules that govern Amish life and interaction with the wider world vary from group to group, although the wearing of plain dark clothes and the use of horse-drawn transportation are widely observed. Amish people are now in 32 states and Canada, with a total population approaching 400,000, a majority living in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.

Nolt said that in recent years, four clusters of Amish groups from the Lancaster settlement have established themselves in Bedford County and Littlestown, Pennsylvania; Points, West Virginia; and Farmville, Virginia. Together they may total about 500 people, during a time when the Lancaster settlement grew by about 8,000.

The modest changes, Nolt said, show “that out-migration is not the principal demographic story here, but rather most Amish are staying in the Lancaster settlement.”

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania High School Wrestling Rankings Before 2026 PIAA States – FloWrestling

Published

10 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Pennsylvania High School Wrestling Rankings Before 2026 PIAA States – FloWrestling

Is Pennsylvania the most wrestling-centric state in the country? Does the Keystone State have the most talent? Or even the top talent? Is it harder to win a state title there than anywhere else?

These all are terrific questions, and the answers may vary depending on who you ask and where they’re from, much like our nation’s great pizza debate, where the answers will vary by region.

What we do know for sure, is that Pennsylvania is well-represented in the 2025-2026 FloWrestling High School Wrestling Rankings, but with the 2026 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys & Girls Individual State Wrestling Championships on the horizon, where do the competitors rank amongst their peers?

If you follow high school wrestling, you’ve probably already heard many of the names, whether it was at past PIAA events, national tournaments, international competition, college recruiting news or signings, etc.

Now, here they are listed by weight class in FloWrestling’s latest Pennsylvania-only rankings.

Among the most recognizable are Bishop McCort senior Bo Bassett (152 pounds), his brother and teammate Melvin Miller (172 pounds) and Adam Waters (189 pounds) from rival school Faith Christian Academy.

As you get ready to see who takes home the titles at the 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships, set for March 5-7 at GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, here’s a look at where everyone falls in the pecking order:

What Are The Weight Classes For High School Wrestling In Pennsylvania?

Boys: 107, 114, 121, 127, 133, 139, 145, 152, 160, 172, 189, 215, 285
Girls: 100, 106, 112, 118, 124, 130, 136, 142, 148, 155, 170, 190, 235

Pennsylvania High School Wrestling Rankings Before 2026 PIAA State Championships

As of Feb. 22, 2026

Boys

Girls

When Are The 2026 PIAA Boys & Girls Individual State Wrestling Championships?

The 2026 PIAA Boys & Girls Individual State Wrestling Championships will take place March 5-7, live on FloWrestling and the FloSports app.

The first girls wrestling champions in PIAA action were determined in 2024.

The road back to GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, began with regional competition across 12 sites (eight boys, four girls) in February (Feb. 20-21; Feb. 22; Feb. 27-28; Feb. 28)

Among the highlights at the 2025 event was Bassett winning his second individual PIAA state championship and helping Bishop McCort to a Class AA runner-up finish behind Faith Christian.

Read more: 2025 PIAA Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets

How To Watch The 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships

Live coverage of the 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships on March 5-7 will be broadcast on FloWrestling and the FloSports app, with news, notes, stats and more available on both platforms.

Archives will be available immediately following the conclusion of each match.

If you’re going to be in the area and want to catch the action in person, click here for spectator and ticket information.

Read more: 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships Schedule & Brackets

2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships Brackets

Here’s where you’ll be able to find the brackets for the 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships:

2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships Schedule

Here’s a look at when everything is going down:

All Times Eastern

Wednesday, March 4

4-7 p.m. – Media registration
4-7 p.m. – School registration (AA/Girls/AAA)
4-7 p.m. – Qualifying wrestlers’ workout (AA/Girls/AAA) (six mats)
6 p.m. – Officials’ meeting

Thursday, March 5 (Session 1)

7:30 a.m. – Media registration
7:30 a.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA)
7:30 a.m. – Late school registration (AA)
7:45 a.m. – Skin condition check (AA)
8 a.m. – Weigh-ins (AA)
9 a.m. – Preliminaries and first round (AA), six mats (52/104 matches)
12:30 p.m. – First-round consolations (AA), six mats
12:30 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (Girls)
12:30 p.m. – Late school registration (Girls)
12:45 p.m. – Skin condition check (Girls)
1 p.m. – Weigh-ins (Girls)
2 p.m. – First round (Girls), six mats (104 matches)
3 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AAA)
3 p.m. – Late school registration (AAA)
3:15 p.m. – Skin condition check (AAA)
3:30 p.m. – Weigh-ins (AAA)
3:30 p.m. – First-round consolations (Girls), six mats (52 matches)
4:30 p.m. – Preliminaries and first round (AAA), six mats (52/104 matches)
8 p.m. – First-round consolations (AAA), six mats (52 matches)

Friday, March 6 (Session 2/Session 3)

6:30 a.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA)
6:45 a.m. – Skin condition check (AA)
7 a.m. – Weigh-ins (AA)
8 a.m. – Quarterfinals (AA), three mats (52 matches)
8 a.m. – Second-round consolations (AA), three mats (52 matches)
10:15 a.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (Girls)
10:30 a.m. – Third-round consolations (AA), three mats (52 matches)
10:30 a.m. – Skin condition check (Girls)
10:45 a.m. – Weigh-ins (Girls)
11:45 a.m. – Quarterfinals (Girls), six mats (52 matches)
12:45 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AAA)
1 p.m. – Skin condition check (AAA)
1:15 p.m. – Weigh-ins (AAA)
1:15 p.m. – Second-round consolations (Girls), six mats (52 matches)
2:15 p.m. – Quarterfinals (AAA), three mats (52 matches)
2:15 p.m. – Second-round consolations (AAA), three mats (52 matches)
4:45 p.m. – Third-round consolations (AAA), six mats (52 matches)
6:15 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA/Girls/AAA)
7 p.m. – Semifinals (AA/Girls/AAA), 2/2/2 mats (26/26/26 matches)
9 p.m. – Fourth-round consolations (AA/AAA), 2/2 mats (26/26 matches)
9 p.m. – Third-round consolations (Girls), two mats (26 matches)

Saturday, March 7 (Session 4/Session 5)

8 a.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA/Girls/AAA)
8:15 a.m. – Skin condition check (AA/Girls/AAA)
8:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins (AA/Girls/AAA)
8:45 a.m. – Skin condition check, finalists (AA/Girls/AAA)
9 a.m. – Weigh-in, finalists (AA/Girls/AAA)
9:30 a.m. – Fifth-round consolations (AA/AAA), 2/2 mats (26/26 matches)
9:30 a.m. – Fourth-round consolations (Girls), 2 mats (26 matches)
11:30 a.m. – Third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches (AA/Girls/AAA), 2/2/2 mats (39/39/39 matches)
11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA/Girls/AAA)
3:40 p.m. – Parade of Champions (AA/Girls/AAA)
4 p.m. – Championship Finals (AA/Girls/AAA), 1/1/1 mats (13/13/13 matches)

When Was The 2026 PIAA Team Wrestling State Championships?

The 2026 PIAA Team Wrestling State Championships took place Feb. 6-7 at the 1st Summit Arena in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and included 20 teams that survived the preliminary and first round of the tournament, which was held Feb. 3 at host schools across the state.

The advancing teams made their way to Johnstown for two more days of intense competition, with the 1st Summit Arena hosting the quarterfinals through the championship matches.

In Pennsylvania this year, there were 475 schools participating in boys wrestling.

They were divided into two classifications – 228 schools in AA and 247 schools in AAA – which are further split into 12 districts. Class AA is for schools with 1-308 male enrollees, and Class AAA wrestling includes schools with 309-9999 male students.

Read more: 2026 PIAA Team Wrestling State Championships Schedule & Brackets

Did You Know: PIAA Wrestling Has A Long History

The first state wrestling championships in Keystone State happened in 1938, while the girls were added to the action in 2024. The PIAA Team Wrestling State Championships debuted in 1999.

There are 14 four-time individual state champions in Pennsylvania. Another 30 have won three times.

2025-2026 FloWrestling High School Wrestling Rankings

Top 20 as of Feb. 18, 2026

Curious about how the top wrestlers from each state stack up against competitors from across the country?

Click here to see the latest high school rankings from FloWrestling.

FULL DUAL: Bishop McCort vs. Faith Christian | 2026 PIAA AA Team State Finals

Faith Christian has been dominant in team wrestling in Pennsylvania, and Bishop McCort keeps falling just short.

Trackwrestling Has Joined The New FloWrestling

Trackwrestling officially has merged with FloWrestling, bringing its powerful tournament tracking tools and live data into a modern, all-in-one platform.

Fans can follow every bout with pro-grade brackets, mat schedules, team rosters and detailed wrestler profiles—all seamlessly integrated within FloWrestling.

This move delivers a faster, smarter and more connected experience for the wrestling community. Through the updated FloSports app, users can track live results, explore brackets and even sign up for free alerts so they never miss a match.

FloWrestling Archived Footage

Video footage from all events on FloWrestling will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

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Pennsylvania

Man cited after abandoning car in frozen pond at Pennsylvania country club: Police

Published

22 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Man cited after abandoning car in frozen pond at Pennsylvania country club: Police

A man has been cited after police said he drove a vehicle into a frozen pond at a country club in Pennsylvania, left the scene, then spent the night in a hotel.

According to the East Lampeter Township Police Department, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, around 10:38 a.m., officers were called to the Lancaster Country Club after receiving reports about a vehicle in a pond.

Police said that, through an investigation, it was learned that Sung Chun, a 50-year-old man from Hoboken, New Jersey, had driven onto the property the day before around 8:30 p.m., crossed portions of the golf course, and ultimately ended up in a pond.

Chun then exited the vehicle and walked away without reporting the incident and spent the night at a nearby hotel, according to police.

Credit: East Lampeter Township Police Department

Police said Chun returned to the location while police were on scene investigating the incident and was ultimately cited with “Trespass by Motor Vehicle.”

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Pennsylvania

State College, Pennsylvania: 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

State College, Pennsylvania: 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards

In rural Pennsylvania, State College houses Penn State against a backdrop of beautiful country scenery. The university hosts many events, arts performances, and lively festivals that give the town year-round excitement that blends student life with local charm. Visitors can attend a football game, explore nearby parks and trails, and savor the town’s growing culinary scene of pubs and local eateries.

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