The rise and fall of opera houses in Kansas The rise and fall of opera houses in Kansas

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9 a.m. Tuesday, June 2, until further notice

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No matter its size, Kansas residents took enormous pride in their community's opera house or hall. The glory age of Kansas opera houses has long since passed, but their significance in Kansas history is well documented in the book "Kansas Opera Houses " Actors and Community Events 1855-1925." The book's author, Jane Rhoads, director of undergraduate success programs at Wichita State University, visited 432 Kansas towns during the past 17 years, researching Kansas opera houses. The book has been selected as a 2009 Kansas Notable Book by the Kansas Center for the Book at the State Library of Kansas.

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