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Ann Hagedorn is an award winning author and journalist who earned degrees from Denison University, the University of Michigan and Columbia University. She has been a staff writer for several newspapers: The Wall Street Journal, The San Jose Mercury News and The New York Daily News. She has written for other publications including The Washington Post. She has taught narrative nonfiction writing at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Her most recent book is Savage Peace, Hope and Fear in America, 1919. She is also the author of three other books: Wild Ride, Ransom, and Beyond the River. Beyond the River, also a Simon and Schuster book, was selected as one of the ALA's 25 Notable Books in America in 2004 and earned high praise nationwide, including Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.'s comment: "Beyond the River is as vivid in its narration as it is scrupulous in its scholarship. It is a wonderful reminder of the little known men and women who played heroic roles in stirring the republic to live up to its ideals.". Read the full bio or see Ann's web site, www.annhagedorn.com

Ron Barrett and Nancy Bentley of Kinkead Ridge Winery planted their vineyard on a ridge above Ripley in 1999. Their award-winning ultra-premium wines have been internationally and nationally recognized in film, print and wine competition medals. The 2003 Viognier/Roussanne and the 2004 Cabernet Franc were listed as two of the Top 100 Exciting Wines in the World by Tom Stevenson, British editor of the New Sothebys Wine Encyclopedia. Ron formerly as a MS Electrical Engineer, and Nancy was an technical support specialist with Sun Microsystems in its founding year, and is also a certified chef and graphic and web designer. Before selling their Pinot Noir vineyard in Oregon, they looked at vineyard property in Paso Robles, the Finger Lakes, southern Oregon and Walla Walla Washington. They chose Ripley for its outstanding unglaciated limestone soil, similar to St. Emilion in France, and for the opportunity to renaissance a historic grape growing area. See www.KinkeadRidge.com for more information.

Ben Pedigo, Bluegrass Musician. Wanting to combine music with higher education, Ben decided to attend Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and immediately gravitated to picking with Nashville bluegrass musicians. "After school I could walk a couple of blocks to the Bluegrass Inn, tune up my banjo and sit in with people like Scotty Stoneman, and Buck White."

Ben's work with The Whites gave him the opportunity to audition for Bill Monroe. Ben decided to take a leave of absence his junior year at Vanderbilt to tour with Bill and The Blue Grass Boys. The opportunity to perform with Bill was a once in a lifetime experience. Ben traveled throughout the South and to California with The Blue Grass Boys, in addition to playing on the Opry and Ernest Tubb's Record Shop.

 "When I lived in Nashville, I noticed that the row buildings on the Cumberland were beautiful and I thought that it would be fun to restore an old building on the river." Ben got his opportunity to do just that when he was asked by friend, Jim Collins, then professor  of art at University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, if Ben would like to move to Ripley, Ohio and help with the restoration of an old bank building that Jim purchased to make an art gallery for his sculptures and other works of art.

For a time, Ben spent his summers working on the Julia Belle Swain in Peoria and his winters in Ripley. Ben has started to give banjo and guitar lessons and has started performing with his wife Kim's brother, Forrest Utley, in the duo GUNPOWDER CREEK. Kim and daughter Katherine are creating a jewelry line incorporating vintage beads. Their line of jewelry is under the name  riverpeepers. Click here for more information about beautiful Riverpeepers jewelry with vintage beads. See http://www.ripleybanjoworks.com

Seth and Tina Meranda, Meranda-Nixon Winery. Upon graduation from OSU, college of Agriculture, Seth Meranda returned to his great-grandfather's family farm and grew tobacco and grain crops prior to planting Meranda Vineyards in 2003. Seth's wife Tina grew up on the Nixon family farm in Warren County, graduated from Cincinnati State, and became active in the Brown County farm in 1998. They have two sons. Meranda-Nixon winery is now open. See http://www.meranda-nixonwinery.com.