A mud sale is a benefit auction that funds a Lancaster County volunteer fire company. Amish and Mennonite neighbors donate the goods, run the food stands, and turn out by the thousands. The name comes from the timing: the sales cluster in late winter and early spring, when the thawed ground and the parking fields turn to mud. They run rain or shine, and they are one of the most authentic things you can do in Amish Country that has nothing to do with a gift shop.

Amish buggies gathered at a barn in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

What a mud sale is

Each sale raises money for the host fire company, and for many companies it is the single biggest fundraiser of the year. A large sale can gross well into six figures in a single day. The tradition goes back to the mid-1960s. Several auction rings run at once, so you can wander from a quilt auction to a horse ring to a table of hand tools in a few minutes.

What gets auctioned

The headline draw is the quilts: hand-stitched Amish quilts, usually donated by local sewing groups, sold to a quiet, fast-moving crowd of serious buyers. Beyond quilts, expect handmade furniture, antiques, and crafts; horses, ponies, and livestock with their tack and feed; buggies and carriages; farm equipment, tractors, and tools; lumber, sheds, and gazebos; plus plants, shrubs, and produce. If it can be donated and sold to help the fire company, it turns up in a ring somewhere.

The food is half the reason to go

Food stands open before the auctions do, usually around 7:30 in the morning. The menu is Pennsylvania Dutch fundraiser cooking at its best: doughnuts and coffee to start, then chicken corn noodle soup, hand-rolled soft pretzels, barbecued chicken, sausage sandwiches, smoked meats, and a bake-sale table of sticky buns and pies. Come hungry even if you have no plans to bid. For more in this vein, see our guide to markets and farm stands.

The season schedule

Mud sale season runs from late February through late spring, with a few more in late summer and fall. Roughly twenty sales happen in and around the county each year. Exact dates are set each winter by the individual fire companies, so confirm the day before you go. This is the usual order of the season.

Late winter and spring

  • Strasburg, Strasburg Fire Company. The season opener, late February. In Strasburg.
  • Bart Township, Bart Township Fire Company (Quarryville). Early March.
  • Gordonville, Gordonville Fire Company. Mid-March. One of the oldest and best-known sales in the county.
  • Penryn, Penryn Fire Company (Manheim). Mid-to-late March.
  • West Earl consignment and quilt auction, West Earl Fire Company (Brownstown). Late March.
  • Farmersville, Farmersville Fire Company (Ephrata). Late March.
  • Gap, Gap Fire Company. Late March.
  • Robert Fulton, Robert Fulton Fire Company (Peach Bottom). Early April.
  • Rawlinsville, Rawlinsville Fire Company (Holtwood). Mid-April.
  • Schoeneck mud sale and quilt auction, Schoeneck Fire Company (Denver). Mid-to-late April.
  • Fivepointville benefit auction, Fivepointville Fire Company (Denver). Early May.
  • Honey Brook quilt sale and consignment, Honey Brook Fire Company (on the Chester County line). Early-to-mid May.
  • Weaverland Valley, Weaverland Valley Fire Department (New Holland). Late May.

Summer and fall

  • Kinzers, Kinzer Fire Company. Early June.
  • Bird-in-Hand carriage and antique auction, Bird-in-Hand Fire Company. Late June. In Bird-in-Hand.
  • Refton, Refton Fire Company (West Lampeter area). Late June.
  • Bareville consignment auction, Bareville Fire Company (Leola). Late August.
  • Gordonville fall sale, Gordonville Fire Company. Mid-to-late September.

Tips for a first visit

  • Arrive early. Auctions start around 8:00 to 8:30 a.m., and the food and parking fields fill before that. The best quilts and the biggest crowds are in the morning.
  • Bring cash. Larger sales take cards at some rings, but cash moves fastest for food and small lots.
  • Register to bid. If you want to buy, get a bidder number at the registration table and keep an eye on the auctioneer's spotters.
  • Dress for mud and cold. Boots you do not mind ruining, layers for a raw March morning, and a raincoat. The sales run rain or shine.
  • Expect traffic. These pull thousands of people into small rural crossroads, with slow buggy traffic on the roads nearby. Leave extra time.
  • Be respectful. Do not photograph Amish attendees without asking. Every dollar you spend supports the volunteer fire company hosting the day.

Planning the rest of a spring trip? See our guide to Amish holidays and what closes so an auction Saturday does not collide with a day the farm stands are shut.