
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, September 6, 1993                   TAG: 9309060039
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: HOLIDAY 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: INTERCOURSE, PA.                                LENGTH: Short

AMISH PARK BUGGIES, TRY ROLLERBLADES

The Amish of Pennsylvania Dutch country eschew most modern conveniences. Cars are out. Electricity is out. But Rollerblades are in.

As Old Order Amish make their way around the rolling farmland in horse-drawn buggies, youngsters are strapping on their in-line skates to play hockey or visit friends.

Some adults are using them for exercise.

"I'm not sure there's a logical explanation for it," said Stephen Scott, who researches and writes about Lancaster County's plain sects for The People's Place, a cultural center in Intercourse.

He said it's often difficult to explain why some modern items are accepted by the Amish while others are avoided.

"They are really quite a way to get around," said an Amish man working at Esh's Sharpening and Sales, an Amish-owned hardware store that sells in-line skates.

"This is something we're allowed to use," he said recently.

"Instead of hitching the horse up, you just hop on your Rollerblades."

by CNB