Kendra is the fi rst to admit that when people
look at her, they fi nd it hard to believe she
comes from Amish roots. Her grandmother
and great-grandmother were Yoders. Her
great-grandfather had nine children and her
grandmother was the third born to an Amish
family in western Maryland.
“My grandmother was Amish but that ended
when she said, ‘I do’ to my Roman Catholic
grandfather,” Kendra said. “And in the 1920s
my husband’s great-grandfather left the Amish
church when he bought a truck.”
Born and raised in the heart of Amish
country in York, Pennsylvania, it is clear that the
Mennonite culture remains close to Kendra’s
heart. “Both my husband and I have cousins
who remain Amish, and we’ve grown up near
the culture. It’s remarkable that we are retired
here, and that Sarasota is the only place in the
world where the Amish come en masse to
vacation.”
What is Pinecraft?
Pinecraft is a small Amish and Mennonite
community that sits near the intersection of
Bahia Vista Street and Beneva Road in Sarasota.
It is known as a popular winter destination for
Amish living in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana.
“It’s a vibrant community that continues to
grow,” explained Kendra. “You’ll fi nd that when
you strike up a conversation, we are much more
alike than we are unalike. We have so many of
the same shared values.”
Because of the media, books, television
and movies, people have the mistaken notion
that the Amish and Mennonite are not open
to relationships with “the English.” While this
couldn’t be farther from the truth, traditions and
customs should be observed.
You might ask how a culture that uses only
horses and buggies can travel to Sarasota each
season. Kendra said there’s an express bus
that comes from each of these communities.
They run numerous times a week, almost
non-stop from Lancaster. When the bus arrives
in Sarasota from Lancaster, it is quite a social
event. Hundreds gather each week to either
welcome or say goodbye to their fellow
travelers.
“I used to be opinionated about it; I thought
people were just being nosey, wanting to see who
was getting off the bus,” admitted Kendra. “We
had been retired and were in Sarasota for about
a month and I was at the grocery store. I glanced
at my watch, and I remember sending a text to my
husband. I said, ‘Hey, it’s 12:15. If I leave now, we
can meet in the church parking lot because the bus
comes in at 12:30.’ As soon as I hit send I thought,
‘It’s happened to me. I want to see who is getting
off the bus.’”
Sarasota’s bus stop in Pinecraft generally boasts
200 friends and family all standing in a parking
lot to extend a warm welcome. During the height
of the season, which lasts until Easter, there can
be several thousand Amish and Mennonite in
Pinecraft. Approximately 50 residents can be found
in Pinecraft year-round.
Amish and Mennonite alike await the arrival of visitors
from all over the country at the Sarasota Pinecraft bus
station.