Make a Really Good Plan…Then Add People

In an example of what a community can do when neighbors help neighbors, members of the Amish community gathered early June 15 on a farm along E. Townline Lake Road for a traditional barn raising. With roughly 50 buggies filling the west side yard and more parked on the east, many hands worked in concert to frame, roof and rough-in a large T-barn. The farm owner had laid the block for the lower level over the course of many weeks, with lumber for the project milled from trees harvested on the family property. Keeping hard-working crews nourished is no small task, either and many smaller hands onsite were busy ensuring the crews had hearty, work-sustaining meals. These photos, taken shortly after noon on what was to become the first of two sweltering days, show not only a partial day’s progress, but also illustrate there is nothing like a barn raising to remind of what can be accomplished by people with a unified purpose.