Candlelight Vigil/ Protest at City Hall

Anna Bentley | The News Record
Cincinnati, Ohio

Hundreds of local home health care and transit workers gathered for a candlelight vigil outside Cincinnati's City Hall on Friday, Jan. 14, 2011 to protest Gov. Kasich's plan to strip low-income workers of rights and benefits and to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On the Muddy Banks of the Ohio (August 2010)

Here are some shots I took in August 2010 when a friend and I went to do some exploring around River Road. We ended up going to the banks of the Ohio River-- it's not the most beautiful of riverbanks but it's still a fun place to explore.

Snow and Winter

Thursday, December 16, 2010
Cincinnati, Ohio


Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Last Train to...Cleveland?

Cincinnati, Ohio

Ohio governor-elect John Kasich is planning to terminate the 3C passenger rail project that connects Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus. So I headed down the hill to the Western Hills Viaduct to get some shots of the rail yard. Great fun!

Read News Record news editor James Sprague's article here.

Steve Driehaus Election Party 2010

Friday, November 5, 2010
Cincinnati, Ohio

For the 2010 Election, I was sent by The News Record to photograph the election party for congressional candidate Steve Driehaus, held at the Taqueria Mercado Mexican restaurant in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday night. The incumbent Democratic representative lost his congressional seat to Republican candidate Steve Chabot.

To read The News Record's coverage of Steve Driehaus' election party, click here.

Burritos, enchiladas and other Mexican dishes were served at the Driehaus election party, which was held at Taqueria Mercado at E. 8th St & Walnut St in downtown Cincinnati. Members of the kitchen staff sported Driehaus campaign stickers to show their support as they prepared the food.

Local 12 Troubleshooter Reporter Howard Ain interviews Steve Driehaus' campaign spokesman Tim Mulvey before Driehaus arrives to his election party.

Former Cincinnati City Council member John Cranley stops in Taqueria Mercado to show his support for Steve Driehaus at his election party on Tuesday night.

Driehaus hugs his teary-eyed daughter Clare after he arrived to his election party late Tuesday night to deliver his concession speech.

Driehaus delivers his concession speech at his election party late Tuesday night.

Tattoo

On one of my photographic wanderings this past winter I ended up taking some photos in the Skincraft Tattoo and Piercing studio on Hamilton Avenue in Northside, an experience I found to be rather fascinating. I had been in the area shooting an assignment for a photography class and when the sun went down and outdoor light was scarce, I quickly began to brainstorm ideas for an interesting indoor environment to photograph. I decided to walk into Skincraft and see if there was anyone willing to let me take some pictures. It was around 9 pm on a weeknight so I figured there wouldn't be many people in the studio but I was lucky because shortly after I walked in, a woman came in for a tattoo. She was a young lady, probably in her early 20s, and she was accompanied by a friend and her baby. She didn't mind being photographed so I was able to document the tattooing process as a tattoo artist named Bryan engraved "Romans 8:28" onto her skin.


As Bryan got together the tools necessary for the tattoo, he educated me about body art and how he first became interested in it. The young lady had come into the store knowing that she wanted a tattoo of the title of a bible verse but she was unsure of how she wanted it to look so Bryan sketched out a couple possible designs on a sheet of paper and she found one she was happy with. After she settled on her design, Bryan went straight to work.

The whole process took about forty minutes, which seems to be a decent amount of time for something that's only 2-3 inches in length. When the tattoo was finished, the young woman walked into the lobby and showed it off to her friend before they headed out the door and straight to bible study.

Redefining the Street Musician: "Play Me, I'm Yours" Comes to Cincinnati

Cincinnati, Ohio
Anna Bentley | The News Record


Beginning August 9th, people of the Greater Cincinnati area will have an opportunity to expand their musical realm to the streets thanks to an interactive art installation called "Play Me, I'm Yours". Started by British artist Luke Jerram in 2008, "Play Me, I'm Yours" is a project in which artfully decorated street pianos are being installed in cities all over the world for any member of the public to play. The project was developed by Jerram in an effort to build communities and to provide an instrument to people who do not have the opportunity to own one. As of today, Jerram has installed pianos in over 10 different cities, including New York City, London, Barcelona, and his hometown Bristol.

In celebration of the anniversaries of Cincinnati radio stations 90.9 WGUC, 91.7 WVXU, and 88.5 WMUB, 35 pianos have been installed throughout Greater Cincinnati in parks, libraries, streets, and squares. The installation lasts until September 17th, when the pianos will be removed from the streets and donated to local art centers.

To view a map with locations of the installed pianos, click here.

The kickoff event for the "Play Me, I'm Yours" installation, held at Fountain Square on August 9th, brought both professional and amateur musicians downtown to celebrate the start of the street piano installation. People of all ages gathered and waited for their turn to play the two pianos that have been placed at opposite ends of Fountain Square.


View audio slideshow here


Joy Burch of Hamilton encourages spectators to sing along as she plays a piano at Fountain Square for the kick-off of the "Play Me, I'm Yours" installation.


Maya Stockman, 12, of Oakley plays "Notturno" at Fountain Square on August 9 during the kickoff event for the "Play Me, I'm Yours" piano installation.

Suzanne Bona of WGUC plays the flute while Sandra Rivers of CCM accompanies her on one of the "Play Me, I'm Yours" pianos at Fountain Square.

Businessmen and women who chose to spend their lunch break at Fountain Square on Monday, August 9 got a pleasant treat while they listened to local musicians play the "Play Me, I'm Yours" pianos at the kickoff event for the installation. One musician, Suzanne Bona of WGUC, even brought her flute to play.
Dean Herron plays The Beatles' "Lady Madonna" on one of the "Play Me, I'm Yours" pianos at Fountain Square during the kickoff event on Monday, August 9. So far Herron has played at least 10 of the 35 pianos that have been installed in Cincinnati and he hopes to play at least 15 before they are removed from the streets in mid-September.

Nathaniel Grogan, 7, of Northern Kentucky plays "The Lonely Traveler" at the kickoff event for the "Play Me, I'm Yours" piano installation on August 9th at Fountain Square.

A little boy pauses while reading a book to listen to a song being played on one of the "Play Me, I'm Yours" pianos at Fountain Square.

Beth and Steve Hofferber of Springfield Township perform Billy Joel's "Piano Man" at the kickoff event for the "Play Me, I'm Yours" piano installation at Fountain Square on August 9.

Cincinnatians gather at Fountain Square on Monday, August 9 for the kickoff event for the "Play Me, I'm Yours" piano installation.

Local Blues/Jazz pianist Ricky Nye plays "Summertime" on one of the "Play Me, I'm Yours" pianos at Fountain Square while spectators sing along.

Northside 4th of July Parade 2010

Cincinnati, Ohio
Anna Bentley | The News Record

The Northside Fourth of July Parade, a yearly event sponsored by the Northside Community Council, is by far one of the most interesting parades you will see in Cincinnati. With its unique and creative floats, it is fun for people of all ages. The mile-long parade, which begins at the northern boundary of Northside and runs south on Hamilton Avenue ending at Hoffner Park, has been a Northside tradition for over 60 years. Cincinnatians from Northside and beyond gather each year with folding chairs and flags to watch the parade from the sidewalks of Hamilton Avenue.


A little boy is playfully tossed into the air while waiting for the Northside 4th of July Parade to begin.


A young skateboarder leans against his deck before the start of the parade.


Spectators near the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and Chase Avenue cheer in excitement as the beginning of the parade approaches.



Locals adorned with plastic bottles and other various recyclable materials spread awareness of issues with the Colerain Township landfill and urge people to oppose doubling the size of Mt. Rumpke.



Friends and members of Tango Del Barrio, an Argentine Tango studio located in Northside, tango down the street in the parade.


Friends and employees of "The House Guy", a local housekeeping and handyman service, join the float dressed in Christmas attire while winter holiday songs play on a loudspeaker.



A woman passes out information about climate change at the parade.


A little boy dressed in 4th of July attire watches a line of antique cars drive past at the parade.


Members of an organization investigating the horrific events on September 11th, 2001 hand out candy to children at the parade.


Children dress like characters from "Gnommen", a cartoon strip coming out this fall.



Local skateboarders skate in the Northside 4th of July parade to spread awareness of a project to build a skatepark in Northside.


Members of the Ladies Auxiliary Lawnchair Brigade perform a routine in the middle of the street for the parade.


A miniature version of a charred "Touchdown Jesus" rolls down the street in the Northside 4th of July parade with a sign that says, "Jesus-0 Thor-1".


Jim Tarbell, a democrat running for County Commission, tips his hat to parade spectators.



In addition to the parade, Northside also hosts the yearly Northside Rock & Roll Carnival in Hoffner Park. The carnival takes place on the Friday and Saturday of Fourth of July weekend and hosts a variety of local musical acts as well as performances by dancers, fire-breathers and sword-swallowers.





Local skaters take turns on a halfpipe at the Northside Rock & Roll Carnival. The halfpipe was set up in Hoffner Park by a group of Cincinnatians who are trying to build a skatepark in Northside.

People gather to watch an Aerial Dance performance at the Northside Rock & Roll Carnival on July 3rd.