On April 12, 2008, Ripley Heritage met at their annual dinner. The featured speaker was Leslie Floyd, curator of history, from the Ohio Historical Society.

Welcome back!
We've taken the winter off, at least on the web site, but have been busy at the Parker House planning and getting ready for the 2008 season. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more news of Parker, as well as Ripley events.

You still have a chance to see the new Opera. Here are the dates:

The opera repeats at 3 p.m. Sunday; as well as 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Oct. 20 and Oct. 21. Tickets: $15, $10 children. 513-241-2742; Cincinnati Opera Website

An excerpt:
"It's a gem of a chamber opera with a young, convincing cast that packs a powerful message in less than an hour. For many in the sold-out house on Saturday, it ended all too soon."

Read the full review here

The new Opera based on an incident in the life of John P. Parker debuted in Cincinnati October 13. Those attending said the opera was "Moving", "Wonderful" and "Profound" . The Cincinnati Post's Mary Ellyn Hutton said

Last Sunday, the cast and members of the creative team of Cincinnati Opera's "Rise For Freedom: The John P. Parker Story," visited the John Parker House and the Rankin House in Ripley, a pristine small town enjoying an idyllic fall day. Here are some of their impressions.

Read the impressions of Ripley at the Cincinnati Enquirer's web site

"I have no doubt (Parker) will be in the pantheon of American heroes one day. He grappled with human struggles that I tried to bring into the libretto. Do you risk your family's well-being for your ideals? If we can feel the human doubt, then we see ourselves in that, too."----David Gonzalez

Cincinnati Opera cast members visited Ripley, Ohio, last week in preparation for the world premiere of "Rise for Freedom: The John P. Parker Story," by Adolphus Hailstork and David Gonzalez.

Rise for Freedom- Meet the Cast and Photos

Meet the Cast- from the Cincinnati Opera

The Cincinnati Opera's website features short biographies of the case of Rise For Freedom. It's an interesting- many of from around this area and/or studied here.

View the article

Production Photos

Interesting "behind the scenes" views of what the production will look like. Especially like the view of John Parker's home

Rise for Freedom Study Guide

Rise for Freedom: The John P. Parker Story

The Rise for Freedom study guide uses cross-curricular activities to prepare you and your students to experience this new opera. The activities in the study guide relate to national and state standards, and are appropriate for use before and after the performance to continue the discussion about John P. Parker and his story. For additional information, please contact Cincinnati Opera Education via phone at (513) 768-5562 or email education@cincinnatiopera.org.