Most of you are aware that Wayne County, Ohio is part of the world’s largest Amish settlement and home to Lehman’s Hardware, The J.M. Smucker Company Store, Everything Rubbermaid, and The Cat’s Meow Village. But were you aware that the Ohio Light Opera, summer resident opera company of The College of Wooster, is gearing up for their 35th festival season?

The 2013 season, which runs June 19 through August 10, opens with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s popular hit “The King and I.” Other notable shows for the 2013 season include: “Silk Stockings,” by Cole Porter and “HMS Pinafore” by Gilbert and Sullivan.

Ohio Light Opera performers are chosen from auditions that are held each fall in cities across the country, including New York and Boston. The artists that make up the residency ensemble are chosen for their ability to perform and participate at the highest level used in the repertoire-singing, acting, and dancing. The company is backed by a full orchestra of 30 musicians, professional set designers, choreographers, and seamstresses.

Over 20,000 patrons from across the country and around the world come to Wooster for the Ohio Light Opera performances in the intimate confines of the beautiful Freedlander Theater, located on The College of Wooster campus.

Groups find the matinee performances fit in well with local restaurants that offer upscale dining and still leave time for sightseeing. Evening performances can be followed by wine parings or decadent desserts and coffee. Group discount rates and special packages at local hotels and bed and breakfasts are available.

Additional information about the Ohio Light Opera is available by phone (330) 263-2345 or online at OhioLightOpera.org. For more information about Wayne County, visit www.wccvb.com or contact the Wayne County Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-362-6474.