My Musical Family

Happy Milestone Birthday - 150 Years!

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 21:08:00 +0000

November 26, 2020, will be long remembered as the year of the pandemic Thanksgiving. The date coincided with another momentous occasion, but because of COVID-19, I wasn't able to celebrate it as I would have liked: it was the 150th birthday of my paternal great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs.

The earliest photo I've found so far of G. Oliver, left, with his younger sister Daisy

This time last year, I had different plans in mind for marking G. Oliver's 150th birthday. I had hoped to host a book reading/birthday party in St. Cloud in mid- or late November, invite friends and family, serve cake, arrange for some live music — it would have been the type of event I have sorely missed during these weeks and months of the global pandemic.

G. Oliver was born on Nov. 26, 1870, in Louisa County, Iowa. This was seven years after the United States celebrated its first official national Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 26, 1863. Before that time, each state scheduled its own Thanksgiving holidays at different times. But on Oct. 3, 1863, expressing gratitude for the Union victory at Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed that the last Thursday of every November thereafter would be considered a national Thanksgiving Day.

G. Oliver died on Jan. 26, 1946, in Bemidji, Minn., at age 75. The last Thanksgiving he was alive for was held on Nov. 22, 1945 — it was the first Thanksgiving after the end of World War II. The celebration must been both joyous and bittersweet that year, with people feeling relief that peace had come, sorrow about all the lives lost, and uncertainty about how the country would move forward in the post-war years. I can imagine that next year's Thanksgiving celebrations may bring up similar emotions. With the news of multiple COVID-19 vaccines on the way in early 2021, or even by the end of this year, it's encouraging to know that we will eventually be able to gather again safely for big public events like birthday parties and book readings.

In this spirit of optimism, I will buoy my spirits with the idea that we might be able to celebrate G. Oliver's milestone birthday later in 2021 — perhaps in May, for his 150 1/2 birthday, or in late fall, before his 151st birthday. Stay tuned for details.

Speaking of celebrations, if you're looking for a gift for a special person this holiday season, my book about G. Oliver's life and musical legacy, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man, is available through many different sources; several are linked on my Deep Valley Book Festival author page and on my website. I especially encourage purchases through local independent bookstores. Store that have been especially supportive of me are listed in the links below.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend, and Happy Birthday to G. Oliver!

• Beaverdale Books in Des Moines, IA

• Beagle and Wolf Books & Bindery in Park Rapids, MN

• Content Bookstore in Northfield, MN

• Cherry Street Books in Alexandria, MN

• Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais, MN

• Ferguson Books & More in Grand Forks, ND

• Irreverent Bookworm in Minneapolis, MN

• Zenith Bookstore in Duluth, MN

Join Me at a Free Virtual Book Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 04:50:00 +0000

What are you doing Oct. 3-4? I'm guessing you're not straying too far from home, in these COVID times, so why not join me at an online book festival? The Deep Valley Book Festival is going virtual this year, and it will offer a variety of panels and events over two days.

The keynote speaker, New York Times bestselling author Matt Goldman, is a playwright and Emmy Award-winning television writer (Seinfeld, Ellen, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency) who now writes the Nils Shapiro private eye series. Other participating authors represent a variety of genres, including nonfiction, fiction, children's, YA, and fantasy & sci-fi.

You can even hear dead authors come to life, as living history actors portray five Minnesota authors from the past: Maud Hart Lovelace (one of my childhood favorites!), Sinclair Lewis, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Wanda Gag, and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I'm excited to be on both a history writers panel and a creative nonfiction & memoir writers panel (we recorded the discussions earlier this month). I'm also participating in a live panel discussion about writing and publishing.

Here's where you can find me on the schedule:

Saturday, Oct. 3:

• 11 a.m.: Writing the Truth: Nonfiction and memoir writers discuss writing about real events and people, and some of the unique challenges posed by writing real stories.

Panelists: Christine Bauer, Phyllis Cole-Dai, Mary Losure, Joy Riggs, Jonathan Sweet

Moderator Rachael Hanel

• 4 p.m.: Writing History: History provides rich fodder for stories, both real and fictionalized. These authors will discuss how they use history as the basis for their writing.

Panelists: Susan Hvistendahl, Terri Karsten, Joy Riggs, Bryce Stenzel, Dale Swanson; Moderator: Danelle Erickson

Sunday, Oct, 4:

• 4 p.m.: LIVE Q & A with Festival Authors: DVBF authors will be available to answer audience questions about the writing process, the path to publication, and the writing life.

Panelists: Raven Eckman, Julie Holmes, Terri Karsten, Thea Kvamme, Joy Riggs, Bryce Stenzel, Dale Swanson, Susan Stradiotto, A.J. Sullivan; Moderator: Rachael Hanel

Be sure to check out the website for the full schedule. You can also shop for books online, and purchase them directly from authors or from partner bookstores.

Although the event is free, a donation of $25 or more makes you a Festival Friend, which gives you access to additional benefits: you'll be entered into a drawing for a DVBF Friendship bag filled with autographed books, and you'll be invited to an exclusive conversation with the keynote author.

The all-volunteer organizing committee has worked tirelessly to make this a quality event, and I'm looking forward to spending two days celebrating books and connecting with other readers and writers. Hope to see you there!

Crackerjack Book Giveaway!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 23:08:00 +0000

One year ago today, I hosted a launch party for my book and was blown away by the response. I'm feeling especially grateful tonight for all the people who packed the Grand Event Center in Northfield that evening to show their interest and support. Such an event would not be possible under current COVID-19 restrictions.

As a thank you to those of you who attended my launch party or who've read my book during the past year, I'm having a book giveaway! Tell me in the comments in this blog post, on Facebook, or in an email (writerjoyriggs@gmail.com), something you particularly enjoyed in Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man – it could be a favorite chapter, a scene, or a line – OR tell me something you learned that surprised you.

Everyone* who leaves a comment by 6 p.m. central time on Saturday, July 18 will be entered into the drawing for a free, autographed copy of the book. I will do the drawing live on Facebook at 6 p.m. this Sunday evening, July 19, and choose one winner.

(*Sorry, but if you're married to me or are one of my three children, you're not able to enter)

Why would you want a copy of the book if you've already read it, you ask? Well, if you win and you don't want to keep the book for yourself, you could give it to a friend or family member you think would enjoy it, or you could donate it to your local library. Lots of options!

If you haven't read the book and are feeling left out, I have a different contest for you! Write an excuse for why you haven't read the book yet (post it in the blog comments, in the Facebook comments, or email me). The people with the top best 5 excuses – they can be funny, sincere, or outlandish (anything goes as long as they're not offensive) will receive a mini G. Oliver sticker in the mail. I will be the judge of the excuses. Yes, you read that right – I am judging you.

Thanks, and good luck!

A Crackerjack Book Birthday Approaches

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Sun, 28 Jun 2020 00:17:00 +0000

Happy almost book birthday!

My nonfiction book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man, officially entered the world of published books on July 1, 2019, which means it's almost 1 year old!

Time sure flies when COVID-19 prevents you from continuing your book tour. Since I can't have a big in-person reading event to celebrate this momentous occasion, I decided to record myself reading the first chapter of my book and share it with all of you.

Although I'm not currently doing in-person book events, I am available for Zoom, Google Meet or other virtual presentations and gatherings. If you'd like me to speak to your book club, writing group, or civic organization, please contact me at writerjoyriggs@gmail.com, or through the contact page on my website, joyriggs.com.

And now, for the feature presentation: Chapter 1: Origins

Chapter 1, part 1:

Chapter 1, part 2:

Chapter 1, part 3:

Real Excitement about My Virtual Event

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Thu, 28 May 2020 16:51:00 +0000

COVID-19 shut down many of my plans for book events this spring and summer. Fortunately, the Northfield Public Library has come to the rescue by offering me the chance to do my planned book reading in a virtual format next week.

It's one of many reasons why we should support our public libraries! They are constantly adapting to the needs of their patrons.

I'll be coming to you live from the library's Pye Room. Watch in your pajamas if you want!

Here are the details: I'll read from my book and talk about the writing and researching process in a live, hour-long program starting at 1 p.m. on Monday, June 1. The program is free, but you need to register ahead of time here. Once you're registered with your email address, they'll send you the details for signing into the event.

The program will be conducted through the GoToMeeting video conferencing site, which is similar to Zoom, Google Meet, and Skype; if you've used any of them, this will have a similar feel. The library is hoping to record the program, so if you aren't able to attend the virtual event, there's a chance you can watch it later.

I'll take questions during the event, but if you'd like to send some to me ahead of time, that would be great, too. You can comment on this blog post or email your question(s) to writerjoyriggs@gmail.com.

I went in to the library this morning to do a test-run of the technology (it has reopened to the public, and masks are mandatory), and it felt comforting to be back inside the building amid all those books, including Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man. To see a list of other libraries where it's available, click here.

Hope to see you on Monday!

A Tribute to the Fallen

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Mon, 25 May 2020 23:06:00 +0000

Today at 3 p.m., my dad and my middle child both played Taps, 175 miles apart. It was a long-distance duet, of sorts; my dad played outside the apartment building where he and my mom live in Alexandria, for a physically distanced crowd of about 20 friends and neighbors, and Sebastian played from our front porch in Northfield, for the enjoyment of Steve, Elias, me, and anyone else in the neighborhood who happened to hear it.

Sebastian playing from our porch in Northfield, MN

My mom and dad in Alexandria, MN

Dad and Sebastian were not the only ones playing Taps today. In fact, I'd guess it resounded from more places than usual this year. Due to COVID-19, CBS News "On the Road" correspondent Steve Hartman teamed up with retired U.S. Air Force bugler Jari Villanueva to encourage people across the country to perform the bugle call at 3 p.m. today from their porches, front lawns, driveways, wherever they could maintain a safe distance from listeners in an event called "Taps Across America" (those of you who have attended the four-day Vintage Band Festival likely have heard Villanueva perform here in Northfield with one of his bands).

The annual National Moment of Remembrance asks Americans, wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, to pause for one minute to remember those who have died in military service to the United States.

My dad plays Taps every year, although he usually does it at the local cemetery. Performing in Memorial Day services was also an annual tradition for his paternal grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs. G. Oliver's father, Jasper Riggs, fought in the Civil War with the 45th Illinois Infantry, and I'm sure that influenced G. Oliver's feeling about the importance of having his bands participate.

Toward the end of my great-grandfather's life, many of his St. Cloud Municipal Band boys enlisted in World War II. Today, as Sebastian played his trumpet, I thought about the ones who never returned. I learned a bit about three of them when I was doing research for my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man.

I had originally included information about the men in Chapter 26 of the book, but it was cut for space, so I'm including the cut material here:

In early January 1945, G. Oliver learned of the deaths of two of his former band members. Both young men had been pallbearers at Islea's funeral. The first, Robert A. Johnson, was a flight officer in the Army Air Corps. He was one of six Army fliers killed on January 8 after two B-26 bombers crashed in routine flight in Texas. He had been a gifted football player and an enthusiastic hunter. He was about to turn 21.

The second was Henry Strobel, a second lieutenant with the 861st Bomber Squadron, 493rd Bomber. The 22-year-old Strobel died after he was shot down over Belgium on Jan. 10. He was awarded the purple heart and was buried in Normandy, France.

The day after Strobel's death was announced, on Jan. 31, 1945, the St. Cloud Times-Journal printed an editorial about the losses suffered in the war. It estimated that more than 100 men from St. Cloud had died, and more than 200 from Stearns County, and it predicted that the total would rise significantly by Memorial Day:

"It is hard for one to find words to express what we feel in our hearts. Not only the debt we owe to those who died for us, but to their mothers and fathers, their wives, and other next of kin. These their 'next of kin' have given the most. When we think of what the absence of these 'honored dead' means in the hundreds of homes in Central Minnesota, how selfish and wicked are the complaints we hear about the war because they cannot get all the cigarets and gas they need. Because of food rationing and speed regulations. Let us be fair about these complaints. We do not hear so many as casualty lists are mounting daily by the thousands on the western front and in the Pacific. Complaints are disappearing because in every neighborhood there live the mothers, fathers and wives, who in every waking hour are concerned about the safety of those boys who are in fighting zones and on combat missions in the air and on the seven seas."

One week later, another name was added to the honor roll: Sgt. John Opitz, who played alto horn in G. Oliver's first St. Cloud boys band. He was attached to the paratrooper division and had served in Africa, Italy, southern France, and Belgium. He was killed in action in Germany.

More than 300,000 men and women from Minnesota served in World War II, and nearly 8,000 of them died. Today, I think of them, and their families, and I am sad and grateful.

"The Nicest Thing You Can Do for Someone Is to Remember Them"

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Sun, 19 Apr 2020 22:45:00 +0000

My great-grandfather would have loved knowing that he was the subject of Curt Brown's Minnesota History column in last Sunday's (April 12) Star Tribune, Riggs struck up band like few others. It was a boost to me, as well, to see G. Oliver Riggs and my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters, mentioned in the state's largest daily newspaper (and the country's seventh-largest, in terms of circulation).

Curt is a marvelous storyteller, and if you don't already follow his column every week, you should!

G. Oliver Riggs returns to the Minneapolis (Star) Tribune!

Before the column appeared, I'd been feeling discouraged. Several book events I'd lined up for the spring were canceled because of the pandemic, and it's unclear when I'll be able to resume meeting people face to face and connecting with them over shared interests in music and history.

Fortunately, the pandemic did not prevent Curt from writing his column, and it attracted the notice of a reader in South Dakota who recognized the last name of Riggs.

Bob Andrews grew up in Mobridge, S.D., where his high school music teacher/choral director was P. H. "Pete" Riggs — also known as Percy Riggs, my great-uncle (and second son of G. Oliver and his wife, Islea).

The 1956 Mobridge High School yearbook was dedicated to Percy

"In the chorus and glee clubs, he had a particular talent to promote his students' best performances. This was evidenced by Mobridge groups always earning top honors at the music contests," Bob wrote to me. "On occasions when we had a concert to perform, he'd always dress in a tux and tails to fit with the quality he'd exacted. To this day, when I think of him, I can picture his smile at us when he felt we were sounding particularly fine."

Percy moved to Mobridge in 1946, after G. Oliver's death. He taught music there for 11 years. He served as president of the South Dakota Music Association and as general chairman of the state curriculum committee, which in 1953 published the new music course of study for South Dakota high schools. He also served as the state chairman of the American School Band Directors association. He left Mobridge in the fall of 1957 to take a job as the high school band director in Chisholm, Minnesota. He died Nov. 30, 1959, at age 55, following heart surgery at Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

Bob and most of his seven siblings had Percy as a teacher during his stint in Mobridge. In addition to directing the high school glee clubs and the mixed chorus, the high school band and pep band, and the city band, Percy also taught music appreciation, special music, and 8th grade music.

Bob's oldest sister, Phyllis, started in band on the cornet but transitioned to the French horn. She described Percy as a fine instructor and a kind gentleman. "She said that he was a great inspiration to her music interests, and she thinks of him often. She also agreed with me in the fact that his musical groups, be they bands, choral groups, etc., always received superior ratings in various music competitions," Bob wrote.

He added, "Phyllis also said that he wasn't one to hand out meaningless praise so when he did, 'you knew you earned it.'"

After reading the Star Tribune column and communicating with me via email, Bob also solicited some memories from his older brother David, who sang in the glee club and mixed chorus and took music appreciation from Percy.

"I always liked to sing, but in 8th grade and high school I had a bad inferiority complex. Mr. Riggs' attitude, 'if you want to be in the glee club or chorus, then you can be' was perfect for me. No tryouts. That was a really big deal," David wrote.

Bob included David's comments in a letter he mailed to me, along with a photocopy of the 1956 yearbook dedication to Percy. Toward the end of the letter, Bob wrote, "One of my favorite beliefs is that, 'the nicest thing you can do for someone is to remember them.'"

I love that sentiment. I know my second cousins will appreciate hearing about the positive impression their grandfather made on his students, and I will definitely remember Bob and his kindness in sharing these memories of P. H. "Percy" Riggs.

My Great-Grandfather the Hottie and Other Treasures

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 01:30:00 +0000

I spent a few hours this afternoon cleaning out the bedroom that has served as my office since September, so Sebastian can reclaim it for the rest of the school year. I got sidetracked (no surprise) when I came across a fragile, musty photo album that a second cousin sent me many months ago. It appears to have belonged to my paternal great-grandmother, Islea.

I hadn't spent much time with the album when it arrived at my house because I was deep in revisions to my book at that time. I do remember noticing that few, if any, of the photos in it were labeled, some were in rough shape, and most of the people didn't look familiar to me.

But today, I took my time, and my patience was rewarded. My favorite find — the attention-grabbing hottie photo of G. Oliver and his friend, shown below — was tucked behind another photo and is in excellent shape.

A young G. Oliver Riggs, on the left, with an unnamed friend

Why had it been tucked behind another photo? Who's the friend? The photo is small – not much bigger than a postage stamp – and undated. Could it be from his student years at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music? Another mystery for me to ponder.

I also took the time to look more closely at three of the oldest-looking photos in the book, printed on metal instead of paper. What do you suppose – yes, G. Oliver turns up again in two of them, with his younger sister, Daisy. The third appears to be their father, Jasper. It's likely they were taken in Nebraska, where the family lived for several years when G. Oliver was a schoolboy.

G. Oliver and his sister Daisy

Daisy and G. Oliver (who went by Oliver as a boy)

The last photo I'm including here is of Islea. It's the first one that appears in the photo book. On the back of the photo, which was taken at a studio in Galesburg, Illinois, she wrote: "Myself at 14 years of age." The photo isn't in great shape, but I'd recognize her sweet young face anywhere.

Gotta love the back of this portrait! So fancy.

I eventually had to put the album aside so I could get more work done. But I'll go back to it soon and see if I can make any sense out the remaining photos. Minnesota goes under a stay-at-home order beginning at midnight tomorrow, so I should have plenty of time to go on a hunt for more treasures.

Pandemics, Methodists, and the Healing Power of Art

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 16:50:00 +0000

Three weeks ago — which seems like three years ago now — I was the featured guest at the monthly meeting of the Stillwater Woman's Reading Club. The group formed in 1886 and is the longest-operating woman-founded club in Minnesota. I was honored to be invited and had a marvelous time talking to its members about my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man. During my presentation at St. Paul Lutheran Church, I read an excerpt from Chapter 12, which seemed appropriate for several reasons. That chapter covers the years my great-grandparents G. Oliver and Islea Riggs lived in Bemidji, Minnesota (1919-1923), and it includes events like the influenza pandemic, a measles epidemic, and the passage of the 19th Amendment, which allowed women nationwide to vote in their first presidential election in the fall of 1920.

The week after my talk, I learned that Elias's college, Grinnell, was shutting down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the days seemed to both accelerate and elongate from there, as our daily routines changed by the day and by the hour. On March 12, I gave what I imagine will be my last public talk for quite a while. I was the guest of the Northfield Rotary Club, which holds weekly luncheon meetings at the United Methodist Church (or did; those meetings are currently on hiatus).

Courtesy of Northfield Rotary Club

The audience, I was told, was not as large as it usually is, no doubt to the growing concern at that time about the spread of COVID-19 (this was one day before Minnesota Governor Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency, and three days before he ordered all public schools to close between March 18 and March 27). The 65 to 70 people who did attend seemed nervous, as was I, about being in a large public group. So I decided to read again from Chapter 12. It gave me comfort to know that people 100 years ago endured a similar horror and got through it by supporting each other as best they could.

(Interestingly, that chapter also includes mention of a speech by Maria Sanford at the Methodist Church in Bemidji. I didn't appreciate the coincidence until later that my last public appearance was at a Methodist church.)

I closed my Rotary presentation with a short excerpt from Chapter 25 about a magical moment from the 2013 Vintage Band Festival, when a trombone shout group from North Carolina took the stage and brought the crowd to its feet. Reading that scene aloud gave me hope that we will endure the difficult times ahead and eventually emerge from our homes to gather and celebrate. I am holding out hope that we will hold the One Day Vintage Band Festival on Aug. 1 in Northfield as planned, and that music can provide a balm for us, like it did for my great-grandparents and their community during the darker moments of history.

A picture of the welcoming, receptive audience I had for my talk in Stillwater

Although I'm disappointed that other spring events I had planned have been canceled (the 2020 DSM Book Festival in Des Moines) or rescheduled for the fall (Rosemount Writers Festival and Book Fair and the Family History Conference in St. Cloud), I'm grateful for my health and my ability to connect with people through other ways — like Zoom, my new best friend.

If you don't already have a copy of my book and are interested in reading it during this prolonged time of staying at home, you do have some options. It's still in stock and/or can be ordered through several independent bookstores, including Content Bookstore in Northfield (they ship for only 99 cents); Cherry Street Books in Alexandria; the Irreverent Bookworm in Minneapolis; Zenith Bookstore in Duluth; Beagle and Wolf Books and Bindery in Park Rapids; Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais; Ferguson Books and More in Grand Forks; and Beaverdale Books in Des Moines.

You can also order it online through Itasca Books, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

It's available in several libraries, too, but since they're not open right now, I'll skip linking to their sites.

Be safe and be well, and keep making and enjoying art.

Crackerjack Bonus Epilogues: Part 2, All Children Should Be Taught Music

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 22:09:00 +0000

In my previous blog post, I mentioned that I wrote two different epilogues for my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man. I ultimately decided against including either one in the final manuscript.

I wrote the second epilogue in October 2017, shortly after I had attended a writing retreat led by Minneapolis author/teacher/writing coach extraordinaire Kate Hopper. As I write this blog post, I am once again on a retreat with an amazing group of women, led by Kate.

I don't expect to write yet another book epilogue while I'm here, but I am open to exploring other topics that arise during our discussions and exercises. Until I have a new essay to share, I present here, for your reading enjoyment, epilogue #2:

CODA – "All Children Should Be Taught Music"

On a crisp October morning three years after my last visit with Ted, I woke up thinking about Islea. I checked the time: 6:15. My alarm wouldn't go off for another half hour. But my mind was already in writing mode, so I slipped out of bed without disturbing my slumbering husband or the dog, Waffles, who was curled up like a doughnut by Steve's feet. Elias would get up in fifteen minutes and shower before heading to school. If I moved quickly, I would have a brief window of time to myself to record my post-sleep thoughts.

I had spent the previous weekend at a retreat with a dozen other women writers, where we discussed the importance of telling our stories, and found strength and support in sharing our experiences. I also spent time rethinking parts in my book where I made connections between Islea and myself. So it made sense that my great-grandmother would rise to the surface of my thoughts this morning.

While the coffeemaker burbled, I opened my laptop and prepared to add a new scene to one of the chapters. As I dug through my notes and reread an old blog post, a famous pianist reintroduced herself to me: Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler.

Pianist Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler

Oh, yes, Fannie. In 2014, while researching G. Oliver's stint in Tacoma, I had stumbled across a newspaper article about Fannie and her music career. The 1910 Tacoma Times article jumped out at me because of its headline: Famous Woman Pianist Says All Children Should Be Taught Music. It described Fannie as "one of the greatest pianists in the world," and yet, I had never heard of her. I looked for information about her online and learned that she was born a decade before Islea and studied piano in Chicago and also in her native Austria, under the Polish composer Theodor Leschietizky, who was known for saying, "No art without life, no life without art."

It had bothered me that such an accomplished woman could be nearly forgotten a century later. Now, as I sipped my coffee, I reread Fannie's words about teaching music to children:

"Four boys are tying a can to a poor dog's tail. The little girls farther up the block are quarreling over who had the most turns at skipping the rope. Then along comes a band. You know what happens. The boys chuck the can and hurrah. The little girls drop the rope and slip away, eyes and feet dancing. They follow the band as far as they dare.

"And how do they come back? Everybody knows that, too. Their faces are bright, the bad temper is gone and they go to playing a different set of boys and girls. And yet people don't think it's necessary to teach the children music.

"Reading is splendid, of course it is," she went on. "So is seeing the beauty of the world about us, and as we see it through a master's eyes on his canvas—all that has a wonderful effect on us. But harmony—music—why, the tots begin to hum before they want to read. It's the only thing that takes us out of ourselves. The effect of the band on the children shows how inborn the magic of it is. And a band—well, the better the music, the better the effect.

"Every home is better for a piano in it. Every child's life is better for studying music."

Her words resounded in me again as I stood at the counter and typed them into a Word document, while the soft strains of a classical piece played on the nearby radio.

What I appreciated even more about Fannie this time was the reminder that she advocated for music education while also juggling her career and raising a family, like Islea—like me—and that she did it while defying society's expectations.

The newspaper article addressed this, noting that Fannie's marriage to Chicago attorney Sigmund Zeisler "just after she had begun to conquer the world, caused consternation in the musical world. But she did about that as she did about going on being a musician when she was told she had not the strength—she did as she pleased. And when she had a fine little son and the home world seemed complete she again wanted more worlds to conquer. So back to studying she went."

There it was: the inspiration I needed to write my scene. Forget about coffee. What I needed to conquer the world was already in my genes. The words would come.

Crackerjack Bonus Epilogues: Part 1, Oberlin 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 21:42:00 +0000

If you've read my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Man, you may have noticed that it doesn't have a prologue or an epilogue. Originally, it had both.

An earlier draft of the book contained a prologue called Prelude: Des Moines 1931. It told the story of the time the St. Cloud Boys' Band traveled to Des Moines with a brown bear for the 1931 U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce Convention.

There are lots of opinions out there regarding whether books should have a prologue, and there are good reasons for and against including them. Although I did love the prologue, I ultimately decided to cut it and plunge readers immediately into Chapter 1. I incorporated most of the prologue into Chapter 18: On the Sunny Side of the Street.

Earlier drafts of the book also contained an epilogue. The first one I wrote was about the visit I made to Oberlin College in 2015 with Sebastian. It was a combined college visit for Sebastian and research trip for me. Although I liked the piece, I wasn't sure it was quite right for the book. So I ended up writing a second epilogue called Coda: "All Children Should Be Taught Music." I liked that piece, too, But in the final editing process I decided to cut it and leave readers with the emotions and sentiments that conclude Chapter 27: Shalom.

I'm curious to know what you think about prologues and epilogues, as a reader or as a writer. You can also let me know what you think of my cut epilogues! The Oberlin one is included here, and I'll include the second one in my next blog post.

Sebastian with Little G, October 2015, Oberlin, Ohio

Coda: Oberlin 2015

The first floor of the restaurant bustles with lively patrons, so Sebastian and I take the narrow stairs to the second floor and sit at a table for two by the window, next to the exposed brick walls. Through black lace curtains, I spot a bike shop across the street. It makes sense; numerous bicycles of various colors are locked up in racks in front of most of these historic downtown buildings. This town of 8,286 people is much smaller than Northfield, but it exudes a familiar collegiate vibe.

Sebastian orders a crab cake sandwich with a side of tator tots and a root beer; I choose a Thai chicken sandwich, a side salad drizzled with mango lime dressing, and a glass of house red wine. Our meal is cheaper, and much tastier, than our airport lunch. I try not to stare too closely at our server's sleeve tattoo, although it intrigues me, or at his man bun, which for reasons I don't understand has become the fashion among some millennials. Yes, I am old, I acknowledge to myself, with my eldest child already in college, and my middle child headed there soon.

Where Sebastian will go remains a mystery. It is fall break of his senior year of high school, and Oberlin College is one of ten Midwestern liberal arts colleges on his "possible" list. He has come to campus for an interview with an admissions counselor and a tour, and I have come along as a supportive mom.

That's partly true. I also have my selfish reasons. Like so many of our family trips over the past eight years, this one has a research connection. I have wanted to visit Oberlin ever since I learned that my paternal great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs, attended its music conservatory in the late 1880s and early 1890s. While Sebastian plays the role of prospective student, I hope to resolve a few nagging questions: Did G. Oliver officially graduate from Oberlin? If so, when, and if not, why not?

At the table next to us, two young men with facial hair, casually dressed in jeans and flannel shirts, are having an animated intellectual conversation. I can hear enough of their words to know that they are talking about Ideas, with a capital I — not about sports or about getting wasted. I think: That's a good sign. I could totally see Sebastian hanging out here.

Sebastian, too, has picked up on the nearby conversation. He looks at me from across the table and smiles.

"College is going to be great," he says with enthusiasm.

His smile vanishes and a look of concern comes over his face.

"You aren't going to feel bad if I go farther away for college, are you?" he asks. "I heard you telling someone that I wanted to get out of town. You've said that a couple of times."

His comment stops me for a second. I have consciously tried not to let my personal feelings influence his decision, or his perception of the schools he's considering. I have tried to follow my dad's mantra in urging Sebastian to "keep his options open" for as long as it makes sense. Despite my intentions, though, I realize he may have misinterpreted statements I've made about his college search.

"No, I won't feel bad," I say, with sincerity. "I will miss you, wherever you go, but your dad and I want you to do what is best for you, and go where you feel it's the best fit."

He looks relieved, so I keep an additional thought to myself: sure, it would be fun if he decided to enroll here, and follow in G. Oliver's footsteps. But that alone is a silly reason for him to choose this school over the other contenders.

How G. Oliver ended up at Oberlin is one of the mysteries I'm unlikely to solve, even if I continue my research for another ten years. I don't know why he chose Oberlin, or whether he considered any other music conservatories. Did he and his parents sit down over a meal and discuss his higher education options? Possibly. Did Jasper and Rebecca worry about sending their son to a school 980 miles from home? Probably. All I knew for sure was that they didn't have to fill out the pesky FAFSA, and G. Oliver didn't have to worry about his ACT scores. Neither existed in the late 1880s.

The server brings me the bill, and after I calculate the tip, I do another calculation in my head: When G. Oliver left his home in Kansas and traveled to this campus for the first time, likely by train, he was 16 years old, one year younger than Sebastian.

I wake up before my alarm the next morning feeling excited and nervous. I try to picture Sebastian's interview and wonder if I should give him any last-minute tips. I wonder if 30 minutes will give the interviewer enough time to grasp the essence of this young man I love so much, whether his passion for history and his interests in music and world events will come off well, whether his tendency to over-explain will be seen as annoying or enduring.

When Sebastian and I are both dressed and ready to go, we stroll over to the campus, passing a few buildings that date back to G. Oliver's time. We part ways at the college library. I wish him good luck with his interview, and he wishes me good luck with my research.

A few days earlier, when I made an appointment to visit the archives, the assistant archivist broke the news to me via email: according to her records, G. Oliver did not actually graduate from Oberlin. This surprised me, because for many years I had believed that he did, based on the scant information I'd gathered. I went back through my materials more closely and noticed that G. Oliver referred to "getting his education" at Oberlin but did not specifically use the word "graduated."

It was also possible that the school's records were wrong. I wanted to be sure, either way.

The archival assistant, Louisa Hoffman, is prepared for my visit. I compliment her on her first name, and she shows me to a long wooden table where three boxes of files await. For the next two hours, I gently sift through file folders containing concert programs and other ephemera, checking for G. Oliver's name and anything else that might yield clues about his time at Oberlin — which began in the fall of 1886, concluded in 1891 or early 1892, and did not include the 1888-89 term (that's when he took a break to earn more tuition money by directing and playing in bands in Nebraska and Iowa).

My heart races when I find the 1891 commencement program, but disappointment replaces exhilaration when I see that G. Oliver's name is not among the nine graduates listed. I check the month listed on the front: June. I know that he attended the school at least through the winter of 1891, so I look for the 1892 program. Aha! June 20, 1892. This one lists only three graduates: two women and one man. The man's name, Fred Ingersoll, is familiar, and I realize I've seen it on an 1891 concert program, when he and G. Oliver played together in the conservatory orchestra. Even though it makes no sense, time-wise, I check the commencement programs for 1893, 1894, then backtrack to 1890, 1889. Still no G. Oliver. The college records must be correct; he did not graduate.

It's almost time for the campus tour, so I decide to take a research break. On my way out of the archives, I stop by Louisa's desk and mention my confusion regarding graduation. She tells me that most conservatory students in those days did not earn degrees. It required taking an extra year of private lessons and giving a public recital. Some students discovered they could get a job without the diploma, and others had to quit school when they ran out of money.

I shake my head and smile as I stride down the sidewalk toward the admissions building. The situation made me think of a scene in The Music Man, when Harold Hill claims to have credentials from the Gary Conservatory of Music's non-existent "Gold-Medal Class of Aught-Five." But in this case, G. Oliver hadn't tried to con anyone. I had just misinterpreted his credentials.

It was likely that I would never stop trying to understand the G. Oliver story. I would keep finding ways to connect his life, and the lives of my other ancestors, to my own. They were my perpetual traveling companions.

When I find Sebastian, I tell him about G. Oliver's non-existent degree from the "Gold-Medal Class of '91," and, knowing the Music Man story, he smiles broadly. He says that his interview went OK, but what he's more excited to tell me is that he ran into his high school friend Amanda, who is also on campus for an interview and tour.

He talks animatedly about his morning, and I am reminded of my dad, who also has an uncanny ability to go anywhere and find someone he already knows. As Sebastian and I wait for the tour to start, I look around at the other prospective students and their parents, and I feel myself relax for the first time that day.

Whether Sebastian decides to go to Oberlin or someplace we haven't yet visited, I am confident that he will thrive. He is ready to write his own story.

Crackerjacks in the Stacks

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 21:26:00 +0000

When I was in kindergarten, I wanted to become a librarian when I grew up. I devised my own Dewey Decimal system for my collection of books at home, and my little book-loving heart filled with ... pleasure (you thought I was going to say joy, didn't you) every time I presented a stack of books to the children's librarian at the Carnegie Library in my hometown of Alexandria, Minn. There was something immensely gratifying about that book check-out process: the librarian would take out her pad of ink, pull the cards from the books, stamp the due date on the cards, and hand the books back to me. It was marked in ink, this approval I had, to go home and read.

My career plans changed after that kindergarten year, but my love of books and of libraries endured. If possible, it became even stronger when I met someone who shared my love of books and libraries in — of course — a library. Steve and I both had work study jobs at Drake University's Cowles Library during our first year of college, and that's where he first asked me out on a date. Thirty years and three kids later, we live in a house overflowing with bookshelves and stacks of books.

Recreating my days as a clicker, a library work study job that no longer exists

When I mentioned on Facebook recently that our love story started in a library, our middle child, Sebastian, commented, "Ya know, maybe that's why we all love books."

As soon as our kids were old enough to sign their names, we helped them get their own library cards at the wonderful Carnegie Library in our town of Northfield. I continue to believe that libraries are a vital public good. So you can imagine how happy it makes me to know that my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man, is now available in several libraries.

As of today, Jan. 21, according to a search of the WorldCat site, copies of my book are available at these Minnesota locations:

• College of St. Benedict/St. John's University library: one copy

• Hennepin County Library: one copy each at the Minneapolis Central and Southdale locations

• Minnesota Historical Society Library in St. Paul: two copies

• St. Mary's University of Minnesota, Winona campus: one copy

The book is also available at Carleton College's Gould Library and at the Drake Community Library in Grinnell, Iowa.

The Northfield Public Library doesn't have it yet, but it's on the list of books they plan to purchase in 2020. If your local library doesn't have it, feel free to request it, either online or in person.

If you do check out my book from your local library, don't expect anyone to take out an ink pad and stamp a due date on a card for you. But know that you have my virtual approval to go home and read.

A Crackerjack Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 20:48:00 +0000

People who attended my reading at Little Joy Coffee last night got a bonus slice of entertainment, although some may not have noticed; it was subtle. The music that played over the coffee shop's speakers as patrons ordered drinks and nibbled on cheese, crackers and (G.) olives was inspired by my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man.

Author Joy at Little Joy/photo by Heather Lawrenz

Author Joy with Giant G/photo by Steve Lawler

The book explores the life and career of my paternal great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs. If you're not familiar with its structure, I'll explain. It's a book of memoir and biography, told in alternating chapters. The titles of the even-numbered, biography chapters are taken from popular songs of the day, from the time period the chapter covers. For example, Chapter 26 is titled The Night We Called it a Day, which is the name of a song published in 1941; events in that chapter take place between January 1941 and January 1946.

In an early version of the book, I included song lyrics at the start of each biography chapter, but I ditched that idea that when I realized it could cause copyright problems — and also because I was seeking to reduce the manuscript's total word count.

(The titles of the odd-numbered chapters don't have anything to do with songs, except for Chapter 21: Building My Wings. That title was inspired by a part of the chapter that eventually got cut, where I talk about a song St. Paul composer Elizabeth Alexander wrote for the Northfield Youth Choirs, Jump! The song incorporates text from a Ray Bradbury poem: "Go to the edge of the cliff and jump off. Build your wings on the way down." Although that part wasn't included in the final version of the book, I felt the title was still appropriate for what happens in that chapter.)

Steve, Elias and me (and my delicious crackerjack steamer); photo by Heather Lawrenz

In case you couldn't attend last night's reading, or if you did and want to hear the songs again, here's the list I gave to Little Joy event planner extraordinaire Carrissa Glarner:

• You Won't Do Any Business If You Haven't Got a Band, George M. Cohan (Chapter 6)

• I'm Sitting Pretty in a Pretty Little City, the Georgians (Chapter 12)

• I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle, Bessie Smith (Chapter 14)

• Back in Your Own Backyard, Billie Holliday (Chapter 16)

• On the Sunny Side of the Street, Louis Armstrong (Chapter 18)

• Rhythm is Our Business, Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra (Chapter 20)

• Let's Face the Music and Dance, Nat King Cole (Chapter 22)

• Do I Worry? The Ink Spots (Chapter 24)

• The Night We Called it a Day, Diana Krall (Chapter 26); there's also a nice Frank Sinatra version

Astute readers will notice that not all of the biography chapters are represented in this list. That's because I couldn't find good links for the songs that are connected to Chapters 2, 4, 8 and 10. In their place I have listed four other songs mentioned in the book. It seems appropriate to conclude with some John Philip Sousa marches!

• Herbert L. Clarke's Bride of the Waves

• Sousa's The Charlatan

• Sousa's The Washington Post

• Sousa's El Capitan

Office Hours

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 23:12:00 +0000

The sign outside his door must have listed his office hours, but I don’t remember paying much attention to it. Instead, I’d follow the well-traveled path from The Times-Delphic newspaper office to the northeast side of Meredith Hall and crane my neck to assess the situation: was the sturdy brown wood door closed, or was it open?

Sometimes it was closed, and I'd wander around the north wing of the building, in case he was talking to a colleague in the hallway. Sometimes his door was open and another student was there, usually someone I knew (the J school was not large), and I'd have to wait my turn. But in my memory, when I really needed him, like the room of requirement in Harry Potter, he was there, ready and willing to listen to my problem or piece of news. He'd motion for me to sit in the guest chair, which was surrounded by near-toppling towers of books, newspapers and magazines, he'd lean back in his desk chair, and he'd look at me, expectantly.

When I delivered good news, his eyes would crinkle at the corners, his mouth would curve in a smile, and he'd say, "Wonderful, that's wonderful." When I posed a concern or described a problem, he'd stroke his long graying beard (made grayer, no doubt, with the help of those accumulated student concerns), and ask a series of thoughtful questions. He'd also listen, intently, to my answers. He was a masterful listener.

Every time I sat in that chair with a problem to solve, I hoped he'd simply tell me what to do. He never did. That was not his way. He would listen and elicit responses from me until I had thoroughly analyzed the situation and arrived at my own conclusion. He had a gift, a sometimes maddening in the moment but ultimately generous gift, of teaching us how to not need him.

No, that's not quite right; we do still need him. But he knew we would move on, into our professions and our adult lives, so he taught us how to think critically, to trust our instincts, to remain curious, and to learn from our failures. Because of that gift, a part of him will always be with us.

Amy Ryder, Randy Brown, Professor Woodward, and me in spring 1990

Robert Woodward (1936-2020) arrived on the Drake University campus in 1972 and taught there until 2004 (and he continued to teach Honors classes after his retirement). As my friend and classmate Randy Brown says, when we attended Drake in the late 1980s, Woodward seemed timeless. He wore sport coats, collared shirts, and ties; he had a mane of brownish gray hair and the aforementioned beard; and he had numerous and varied interests including politics, baseball, and monarch butterflies.

I didn't piece it together until after he died that I am now the age he was, 52, when I was a college junior. I didn't know until I read his obituary that he wrote more than 200 songs in his younger days, that he had learned Swahili, that he served as editor of his own student newspaper.

As my friend and classmate Amy Ryder Butters says, "I don't think we knew how lucky we were to have him."

We do know, now.

Regrettably, I can't go back to his office and have one more chat with him. When I return to Meredith Hall tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 10), to celebrate his life, it will be difficult to walk those polished floors and know that his office door is permanently closed. I won't find him there, physically, ever again.

Instead, I will look for him in the faces of the people who knew and loved him as I did. I will picture him there in the crowd, smiling at the legacy he has left, nodding his approval while saying, "Wonderful. Just wonderful."

2019 - A Crackerjack Year

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 18:19:00 +0000

When my daughter, Louisa, asked a few weeks ago what I wanted for my birthday, I had a quick response: "Take me to see the movie Little Women while you're home for Christmas."

I received my gift Monday evening, the night before she returned to California. She bought my ticket, and my husband, Steve, and son Elias accompanied us to the local theater, where I proceeded to cry intermittently throughout the film. The tears came in some unexpected places – like where Jo breaks down over her shorn hair, her "one beauty" – but I was not surprised that my eyes grew moist at the part where Jo holds a copy of her newly bound book in her hands.

I can now relate to that surreal, momentous feeling of holding my own book in my hands for the first time. It's why 2019 was a crackerjack year for me. It's the year I became an author. It's the year Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man became an honest-to-goodness book, one that you can buy in a bookstore, or check out from a library.

The companion book to Crackerjack Bands - a limited edition!

"To write a book someday" was a vague goal I'd had since early elementary school, when I began reading voraciously. Two of my favorite book characters were writers: Betsy Ray in the Betsy-Tacy series by Mankato author Maud Hart Lovelace; and Jo March, in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. I'd get gray pencil smears on my (left) writing hand – emulating Jo's ink-stained fingers – while scribbling in Mead notebooks, and for a time, I kept my writing in a trunk, like Betsy. I checked out stacks of books from the library, and spent gift money on books at B. Dalton, and I was smitten with the thought that one day my name could also be on a book, and that book, and my words, would remain for others to read, long after I was no longer around.

As I grew older and focused on telling true stories through journalism, the goal of writing a book became even hazier; whenever people would ask, I'd say I hadn't yet come across an idea worthy of a book. Unlike Maud and Louisa, I was not inspired to use my childhood experiences as the basis for fiction. Instead, I shelved the idea of writing a book while I pursued a career, and began raising a family, and then, low and behold, the idea for a book came when I was least expecting it. It took me an entire decade — essentially all of my 40s — to become the writer character in my own nonfiction book about my musical great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs.

I don't expect to become a movie character anytime soon, although I did retain the rights to any movie adaptations of my book (Greta Gerwig, feel free to contact me at writerjoyriggs@gmail.com). But I am happy to report that I'm already featured in a second book, written by my new favorite author named Louisa – my daughter, Louisa.

For years at Christmas, our family of five has drawn names and exchanged what we call Kris Kringle gifts, which have to be something you do or make for the person. Louisa had my name for the first time in several years, and she surprised me with an astonishing gift: Crackerjack Joy the Hometown Author: The Story of a Minnesota Music Mom, by Louisa Lawler. She accomplished in a few days what took me years; she interviewed her two brothers, her dad, my mom, my writing mentor Kate Hopper, and my friend Myrna Mibus, and wrote a 30-page book about what she learned about me and my book.

Much like the experience of watching what, in my opinion, is the best-yet movie adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, I laughed and cried as I read the book by my own "little woman."

It concludes with these words:

"Mom was continuing the family story every day; finding new articles, speaking to people who knew G. Oliver, and sharing stories of bands, bears and cowboys. One day she might even find that legendary picture of G. Oliver and Sousa, stashed away in somebody's storage locker or safety deposit box.

Wherever she ended up finding it, I was proud of my little Kris Kringle project. Mom was helping so many families record and preserve their stories, it was a privilege to be able to record a little of hers."

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2020 brings you an abundance of creativity, a wealth of pleasant surprises, and enough tissues to catch your tears of happiness.

Books, Bands, and Radio Broadcasts

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 15:15:00 +0000

My calendar tells me a month has passed since my book launch, so it must be true. But it's been such a whirlwind, it's difficult for me to believe we've reached mid-August. What have I been up to? Selling and signing books, attending band concerts, and basking in the glow of having a published book to show for my efforts of the past 12 years.

To help myself remember where I've been, here's a summary of the past month:

• July 16: Launch of Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man (Nodin Press) at the Grand Event Center in Northfield, Minn., a truly grand event attended by 100+ people! Biggest surprise: the debut of "The G. Oliver March," composed by recent Northfield High School graduate Sam Dwyer, and performed by a crackerjack band of student musicians.

#GandMe

• July 20: Book signing at Beagle and Wolf Books & Bindery in Park Rapids, Minn., accompanied by my parents and sons Elias and Sebastian. Biggest surprise: former Northfield residents Rollie and Shar Jacobsen attended, and I learned that Rollie's dad, Bob, once played the cornet!

• Aug. 1: First day of the 2019 Vintage Band Festival. I sold books and enjoyed concerts in Bridge Square by FinnBrass (from Finland); À Râse dè têre (from Belgium); the Jack Brass Band; Mariachi Mi Tierra; and the McNasty Brass Band. Highlight: being off social media (except for posting band photos and videos) and spending all day immersed in music.

Thanks, Landry, for making my sign!

McNasty Brass concludes the first evening of entertainment

• Aug. 2: Second day of VBF. I attended the Historic Brass Society's Early Brass Festival in the morning, sold books, and enjoyed concerts in Bridge Square by the Territorial Brass: Arizona's Official Historical Brass Band; Kentucky Baroque Trumpets; the 1st Nebraska Volunteers Brass Band; the Independent Silver Band; Banda La Verdadera; Copper Street Brass; and Bend in the River Big Band. Highlight: watching people of all ages get up and dance to swinging tunes performed by Bend in the River Big Band.

Bend in the River Big Band making its VBF debut

• Aug. 3: Third day of VBF. I attended the Early Brass Festival in the morning, sold books, and enjoyed concerts in Bridge Square by Twin Cities Trumpet Ensemble; the Imperial Cornet Band; the 1st Brigade Band; the 34th Infantry Division "Red Bull" Band; Newberry's Victorian Cornet Band; Metro Brass; Southside Aces; and Hornucopia. Highlight: attending an Early Brass Festival presentation by William Reynolds about his years in a circus band.

Hornucopia makes its VBF debut

• Aug. 4: Final day of VBF. I gave a presentation at the Early Brass Festival, "An Iowa Regimental Band's 1906 Trip to the South," I sold books, and I enjoyed concerts in Bridge Square by the Lake Wobegon ® Brass Band; the St. Cloud Municipal Band; Brio Brass; the Minnesota State Band; Brass Lassie; and Original Drachenfelser Musikanten (from Germany). Highlight: introducing the St. Cloud Municipal Band and hearing the band play a medley from Meredith Willson's The Music Man.

The St. Cloud Municipal Band making its debut at VBF

• Aug. 9: I talked about my book on Open Line, a long-running radio program on KXRA: Voice of Alexandria.

• Aug. 10: Book signing event at Cherry Street Books, in my hometown of Alexandria, Minn. Biggest surprise: selling out of books toward the end of the event (don't worry, the store has ordered more!).

It's hard to say which one of us most enjoyed the event. Even Giant G looks pleased!

• Aug. 15: I appeared on the KYMN Radio program The Wayne Eddy Affair in the morning (it's archived here), and, in the evening, I read an excerpt from my book before the St. Cloud Municipal Band Concert in Barden Park. Highlight: getting a photo of my dad and Giant G with Robbyn Wacker, president of St. Cloud State University, and Dave Kleis, mayor of St. Cloud.

SCSC President Robbyn Wacker; my dad; Giant G; St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis

That's been my life as an author for the past four weeks. What's up next? I have several book events lined up for the next few months, and I'm planning to add more soon. You can check out my website for an up-to-date list. Hope to see you this fall!

If you can't attend one of my events and want to buy my book online, I encourage you to order it from my friends at Content Bookstore (they'll ship it for only 99 cents, and if you request it, I'll personalize it for you). Copies are also available at the Northfield Historical Society Museum Store in Northfield, at Cherry Street Books in Alexandria, at Beagle and Wolf Books & Bindery in Park Rapids, and at Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais. You can also contact the nearest independent bookstore near you (search IndieBound.org) or order it through online retailers Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Over the Moon about My Book Launch

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 21:13:00 +0000

When I chose the date for my book launch party—July 16, 2019—I hadn't considered its historic significance: it marked the 50th anniversary of the launching of Apollo 11, the spacecraft that first landed humans on the moon.

As I told the audience Tuesday evening at the Grand Event Center in Northfield, it turned out to be a fitting coincidence because I was "over the moon" about the launch of my nonfiction book Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man (Nodin Press). And I continue to feel like I'm floating above the ground, having the best dream of my life.

The book is about the career and legacy of my paternal great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs, a renowned Minnesota band director. It's also about the power of music to transform lives and connect people across generations.

#CakeGandMe

The book launch party was even more fun than I'd anticipated. The big surprise for me was the premiere of the "G. Oliver March," composed by Sam Dwyer and performed by Sam and his crackerjack band of musicians (most of whom either just graduated or are still in high school). I knew the band was going to play several numbers, but I had no idea Sam had composed a march for the occasion.

The premiere of "The G. Oliver March"

It meant a lot to me to have a student group perform because one of the themes in my book is the importance of music education, and how formative it is for young people to participate in a music ensemble. I know G. Oliver would have been touched and honored by the tribute.

Steve took a video of the performance: you can watch it here.

It also meant a lot to me to have so many family members and friends attend the party. Although I'm not sure exactly how many people came—some left early, and others arrived later—my guess is the total attendance was at least 100. I do know that Content Bookstore sold 67 books at the event, which is thrilling.

I was too busy talking and signing books to think about taking pictures during the event; fortunately, several people did and shared them with me directly or on social media. Here are just a few:

Mom, Dad, Giant G, Steve, and me; #GandMe

My musical family leading the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to the book

Cake from the Sugar Rose Bakeshop in New Prague

My next book event is tomorrow—Saturday, June 20, 2019—from 1-3 p.m. at Beagle and Wolf Books & Bindery in Park Rapids, Minn. It's also the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle landing on the moon, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin aboard.

Although my visit to Park Rapids isn't a giant leap for mankind, it is my first of several out-of-town book events I've scheduled for this summer and fall, which is a big step in my life as a published author. To find out where I'm appearing, or to contact me about scheduling an appearance near you, visit my website, www.joyriggs.com.

Let's keep the music going!

A Series of Book Appearances

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 23:02:00 +0000

Now that my nonfiction book Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man (Nodin Press) is published and out in the world, I've been working diligently to line up events where people can learn more about the book and buy signed copies.

The first big event is the book launch party, set for Tuesday, July 16, from 7-9 p.m. at the Grand Event Center, 316 Washington St., in downtown Northfield. The event is open to the public. We'll have live music, snacks, and delicious cake from the Sugar Rose Bakeshop in New Prague. Copies of the book will be available for purchase through Content Bookstore, and rumor has it that Giant G will make his debut appearance (#G&Me photo ops encouraged).

Poster by Louisa Lawler, based on a concept by Steve Lawler

Sebastian with Giant G

I'm so excited for this event I can hardly stand it. First of all, it's taking place at the historic former Ware Auditorium (now the Grand Event Center), which opened in 1899 — around the time that my great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs, was establishing his musical career in a different opera house in the northern Minnesota town of Crookston (sadly, that Grand Opera House is no longer standing). Second, we'll have live music provided by a group of crackerjack student musicians. And third, did I mention the delicious cake? It will have edible frosting made to look like the cover of my book— how cool is that?

I don't recommend eating the actual book cover, pictured here

If you can't attend the launch party but would like to order a book, don't worry. Stop in at Content Bookstore, or call or email the store and ask the friendly staff members to ship a book to you for only 99 cents (if you want it signed, let them know).

Or, you can also attend one of the other events I've lined up so far. For updated event information, visit my website, www.joyriggs.com.

Visiting my books at my local independent book shop, Content Bookstore

• Saturday, July 20, 1-3 p.m.: book signing at Beagle and Wolf Books & Bindery, 112 Third St. W. Park Rapids, MN

• Friday, Aug. 2 & Saturday, Aug. 3, 1-5 p.m.: book signing at the Vintage Band Festival tent in Bridge Square in downtown Northfield

• Saturday, Aug. 10, 2-4 p.m.: book signing at Cherry Street Books, 503 Broadway St. in downtown Alexandria, MN

• Thursday, Aug. 15, 6:45-7:20 p.m.: book talk/signing before the 7:30 p.m. St. Cloud Municipal Band concert in Barden Park, 720 5th Ave. S. in St. Cloud, MN

• Thursday, Sept. 26, 7-9 p.m.: book reading at Adath Jeshurun Congregation in Minnetonka, MN

• Saturday, Oct. 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: book signing at the Deep Valley Book Festival, Loose Moose Saloon and Conference Center, downtown Mankato, MN

• Wednesday, Oct. 9, 9-10 a.m.: Breakfast Club presentation at the Stearns History Museum, 235 33rd Ave., St. Cloud, MN

• Saturday, Oct. 19, 2-3 p.m.: book talk/signing at Leithold Music, 116 4th St. S. in La Cross, WI

• Wednesday, Nov. 6, 3-5 p.m.: book signing at Zenith Bookstore, 318 N. Central Ave., Duluth, MN

I'm also hoping to line up an appearance soon for the Des Moines area; check my website for details.

Save the Date for My Book Launch Party: July 16

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Thu, 16 May 2019 15:14:00 +0000

It's now official, so please consider yourself invited and get the date on your calendar — I'm having a launch party two months from today for my forthcoming book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man (Nodin Press).

G. Oliver Riggs

The party will be from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at the historic Grand Event Center in downtown Northfield. We'll have live brass music, light hors d'oeuvres, cake, and a cash bar. I'll do a brief presentation about the book, and I'll sign copies.

My favorite independent bookstore, Northfield's Content Bookstore, is partnering with me to sell books at the event, and you'll be able to preorder the book through the Content website. I will send out more information about this once it's all set up.

I'm looking forward to seeing you and sharing my book with you!

Crookston (Minn.) Juvenile Band, 1916 (Polk County Historical Society)

37 Bands, 4 Days, 1 Amazing Music Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Wed, 15 May 2019 20:34:00 +0000

The 2019 Vintage Band Festival is only 11 weeks away, so mark it on your calendar now —you don't want to miss it! It runs Aug. 1-4 in historic downtown Northfield, Minnesota.

We have 37 international, national, regional and Minnesota bands lined up to perform during the four-day event, including several that are new to the festival. I'm especially excited to announce that the St. Cloud Municipal Band is making its first VBF appearance — this is the band that my great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs, directed for two decades.

The list of bands lined up for the 2019 Vintage Band Festival

Most of the concerts will be at the main stage on Bridge Square, but we'll also have concerts at Way Park and at a few satellite communities. Here's a sneak peek at the daily schedule (keep in mind that it's subject to change).

The 2019 Early Brass Festival of the Historic Brass Society will be held in conjunction with the VBF, and most of those events will take place at Carleton College's Weitz Center for Creativity. As part of that festival, I'm giving a half-hour presentation at 9 a.m. on Aug. 4 about my great-grandfather's 1906 trip to the South with an Iowa Regimental Band (this trip is mentioned in my forthcoming book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man). You can find more information about the Early Brass Festival here.

We welcome any and all donations to help us put on this event, and we have a cool new opportunity this year: donors who give $250 can honor a music teacher or band director (we'll list the honorees in our festival program). For more information or to donate online, visit the Vintage Band Festival website.

Book News!

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 21:34:00 +0000

We used to joke that Louisa's middle name was "Persistence." It was a nicer way of saying stubborn, on those occasions when she dug in and refused to back down from a goal —like when she lobbied for a pet rat (we ended up with two).

I feel like I can take credit for some of those persistence genes, now that I've demonstrated some stubbornness of my own. More than 12 years after I launched into a research project that eventually became a book project, I have a big announcement: I have signed a contract with Nodin Press of Minneapolis! I am beyond thrilled that its publisher, Norton Stillman, decided my manuscript was worthy of his esteemed press, which has been in business for more than 50 years.

Through a blend of memoir and biography, Finding My Musical Family: A Tale of Crackerjack Bands, Hometown Boosters, and a Great-Grandfather's Legacy takes readers along on my eight-year journey as I uncover the musical exploits of my driven bandmaster great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs, his talented pianist wife, Islea, and their children, through times of war, peace, economic hardship, and personal tragedy.

G. Oliver and Islea with children Percy, Rosalie, and Ronald

The book explores my family's deep connections to Minnesota's rich and enduring tradition of community and school band programs, and my growing appreciation for the role music education plays in developing civic-minded youth who can think creatively and work collaboratively. Ultimately it's a story about love, loss, persistence, and the power of music to transform lives and connect people across generations.

The goal is to have the book out in time for the 2019 Vintage Band Festival, which is set for Aug. 1-4 in Northfield. Put those dates on your calendar, if you haven't already.

I will be sure to post occasional updates about the book on my blog. You can also follow my progress on Facebook @MyMusicalFamily or on Twitter @RiggsJoy.

A heartfelt thanks to all of you who have assisted, encouraged, and supported me in this journey. I can't wait to share the book with you!

Joy "Persistence" Riggs

Super John and LA Phil

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Sun, 03 Feb 2019 22:31:00 +0000

Steve, Sebastian, Elias, and I flew out to Los Angeles at the end of January to visit Louisa for several days — fortuitously, our timing meant we missed most of the polar vortex — and on our second night in the "Entertainment Capital of the World," we had not one but TWO celebrity sightings.

They occurred on the same evening, when we had tickets to hear and see the Los Angeles Philharmonic (known as LA Phil) present a concert of John Williams music at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.

The view from the nosebleed seats at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Most tickets had been snapped up by the time we decided, shortly before leaving Minnesota, that it would be a fun thing to do. But Steve was able to buy five tickets through StubHub for Saturday, the third of four performances.

The concert program; how many songs do you recognize?

The first celebrity we spotted that evening was LA Phil music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel — although, I'm embarrassed to say, of the five of us, only Elias understood before the concert how much of a celebrity Dudamel is. I have since educated myself. The 38-year-old superstar conductor from Venezuela was the first classical musician to participate in the Super Bowl Halftime Show, has been the subject of a PBS special, and happens to be a longtime friend of 86-year-old superstar composer John Williams.

Before the concert started, Sebastian asked me if I thought Williams himself would attend. Without giving it too much thought, I said, "Probably not, since this is the third night."

How wrong I was. We happily discovered at the end of the concert that Williams was indeed there, sitting in the front row. Dudamel invited him to come onstage and take a bow, and after the "Theme from Superman" encore, Williams took the baton and directed the orchestra in a Williams-arranged version of a popular tune he did not compose: "Happy Birthday."

Steve's photo of Dudamel, left, and Williams.

Williams turned to the audience and invited us to sing "Happy Birthday" to Dudamel, who turned 38 that day. So Steve, Louisa, Sebastian, Elias and I can now proudly say we've been conducted by John Williams!

The concert that night was recorded, and we hope to get a copy of it when it's released. In the meantime, if you want to hear examples of the marvelous LA Phil on this Super Bowl Sunday, check out Minnesota Public Radio's musical Super Showdown between the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The overtime matchup has each group performing Williams' Main Title from Star Wars. You can cast your vote and enter a drawing for a CD by the winning ensemble.

I'm not going to tell you how to vote, but I'm rooting for Los Angeles!

Happy Snowy, Adventurous, Jazzy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 20:38:00 +0000

Happy New Year! I have a feeling 2019 is going to be a productive and rewarding year. Here's to music, family, friendship, and all the pleasures that make life worth living.

Cheers!

Joy and her brother, Pete, in Alexandria, Minn., Dec. 1970

Joy in Petra, Jordan, Dec. 2018

William Riggs (with trumpet) playing a gig in Alexandria, Dec. 2018

Happy Birthday to Our Traveling Companion

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 14:40:00 +0000

Two weeks ago, we took my paternal great-grandfather along on a college visit. It’s not the first time we’ve traveled with him. Over the past decade he’s accompanied us on several family vacations, ones that have a connection to places he once lived or places he himself once visited — like Havre, Montana, the Shiloh National Military Park in Tennessee, and the Minnesota towns of Bemidji and Crookston.

Lest you think we traveled with a man who would be 148 years old today, if he had not died in January 1946, I should clarify: this version of my great-grandfather does not require a cane or a wheelchair, does not order off the Perkins senior menu, and does not require his own airplane seat. He’s not a flesh and blood man. He’s a paper-thin, black and white photo reproduction, mounted on cardboard. He is the “Flat Stanley” of bandmasters, and he is a most agreeable companion.

Mini G returns to Oberlin, Ohio, in October 2018

The practice of taking G. Oliver Riggs along on trips started in 2008, a year after I began researching his life and career as a pioneering Minnesota band director. He was a prominent violin and cornet soloist at the turn of the last century, and he eventually specialized in forming and directing boys’ bands, in the days before public schools had music programs. Early in my research days, the museum in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where he directed the municipal band for 20 years, held a G. Oliver Riggs Day in his honor. For that special occasion, I created a 3-foot-tall cardboard cutout of my great-grandfather, blown up from a portrait of him wearing a tuxedo, taken in 1899 when he was about 30 years old.

G. Oliver Riggs with family at G. Oliver Riggs Day in 2008

The cardboard cutout was a hit with my extended Riggs family, and we included him in our group photos. We continued to take G. Oliver to other family and music-related events, and he began vacationing with my husband, my three kids and me, as I began working on a book about him. We eventually created a 9-inch-tall mini version, one that can easily fit inside a purse or laptop bag, for those situations when bringing along the larger version was impractical.

Mini G visits the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago in 2014

It’s the mini version that accompanied my husband, my youngest child, Elias, and me two weeks ago on a visit to Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, the school where my great-grandfather got his music education in the late 1880s and early 1890s.

G. Oliver was born on November 26, 1870, in Louisa County, Iowa, grew up on the plains of Nebraska and Kansas, and he learned to play instruments at a young age, likely inspired by his violin-playing father and accordion-playing mother. When he was 13, he decided he wanted to attend the celebrated music conservatory in Oberlin. He saved up his money, earned by herding cattle, and in the fall of 1885, shortly before he turned 15—three years younger than Elias is now—he took the train by himself from rural Kansas to Oberlin, with an overnight stop in Chicago. He took several courses over a period of terms, dropping out occasionally to earn more tuition money, and he finished his musical studies in the winter of 1891.

One hundred and thirty three years after G. Oliver first set foot on campus, Elias, his dad, and I flew from Minneapolis/St. Paul airport to Cleveland, rented a car, and drove 30 miles to Oberlin. Because the visit was about Elias checking out the school, and because I’d visited the campus once before, three years earlier with my older son, Sebastian (and Mini G), I did not feel compelled to make a big deal about G. Oliver’s return to campus. But I did sneak one photo of me with Mini G standing in front of the music conservatory building, built on the site of the old conservatory building where G. Oliver took lessons in piano, violin, and harmony.

I’m not sure if my great-grandfather would be flattered or weirded out to know that he continues to be our traveling companion, decades after he no longer walks the earth. I prefer to think the former. As for Mini G, I can report that he kept a proud smile on his face during the entire campus visit, even if his true thoughts remained inscrutable.

Mini G visits Bridge Square in Northfield, September 2018

Happy 148^th birthday, G. Oliver Riggs. May you enjoy many more musical family adventures with us in the coming decades.

It's Coming, For One Day Only

noreply@blogger.com (Joy Riggs) — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 01:29:00 +0000

My favorite time of the summer is almost here. The 2018 One Day Vintage Band Festival will take place this Saturday, July 28, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. in charming, historic downtown Northfield.

Elias, Sebastian, Steve, and my niece Franny enjoying the 2017 One Day VBF

The festival will feature 11 Minnesota bands playing a variety of brass and wind music, including mariachi, New Orleans jazz, and big band/swing. It's appropriate for all ages and is completely free, although we do rely on generous donations from individuals and businesses to make it all happen.

If you want to donate online instead of during the festival, you can visit our website and donate here. We're a nonprofit, so your donation is tax-deductible.

Participating bands are: the New Prague Area Community Band; Mariachi Mi Tierra; Sheldon Theatre Brass Band; Southside Aces; Ameriikan Poijat (Boys of America); the Minnesota State Band; Twin Cities Brass Band; Brio Brass; Metro Brass; The Copper Street Brass; and Buddy Koopmans Orchestra.

More information about participating bands and concert times is available here.

The festival will run in conjunction with the Riverwalk Market Fair, which takes place in Bridge Square from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through October 20. This means you can enjoy delicious baked goods, a cup of coffee, and/or a shave ice, and browse the colorful art, fine crafts and local produce offerings, all while listening to live band music.

Two food trucks, operated by Maria's Taco Hut and the Cannon Valley Lions Club, will be on hand throughout the day and evening to make sure you don't go hungry during the festival.

We also encourage concertgoers to patronize our program advertisers. Produced by the folks at By All Means Graphics, a VBF partner from the beginning, the free programs will be available during the festival and are already available at various locations around town.

As the grants coordinator and a longtime board member of the Vintage Band Festival, I plan to be at the festival all day. I'm especially eager to welcome back one of our headlining bands, The Copper Street Brass, which is always a crowd-pleaser. (Thanks, Southeast Minnesota Arts Council, for the presenter/production assistance grant that made the band's appearance possible).

Lawn chairs galore at the 2017 VBF — remember to BYOLC!

Remember to bring your lawn chairs or blankets and your friends and family with you. And mark your calendars now for the next big four-day Vintage Band Festival, set for Aug. 1-4, 2019.

Hope to see you in Bridge Square on Saturday. Let's keep the music going!