My Musical Family: March 2012

Origins of a Music Man Tour: Day 3

I didn’t have access to WiFi last night, and I was busy getting ready for today’s presentation, so here is a recap of yesterday’s activity.

First, I checked out of the 1900 Inn after a great night’s sleep and a delicious breakfast.

Then I met up with Mom and Dad, and we drove to Albia, Iowa, where G. Oliver directed the Albia Concert Band and Prof. Riggs’ Parlor Orchestra in 1890-91. Band is still strong in Albia, and the town has a great bandstand (built in 1995) that is reminiscent of an earlier structure.

Next we visited Centerville, where G. Oliver’s friend George Landers directed a regimental band from 1884 to 1909, when the band moved to Clarinda. Landers was a mentor and lifelong friend of G. Oliver’s, and G. Oliver occasionally appeared with the band as a cornet soloist.

Mar

Origins of a Music Man Tour: Day 2

Today was another beautiful day in Des Moines. Some highlights:

• Stopped by the Pappajohn Sculpture Park to see it in the daylight

• Enjoyed a yogurt parfait and coffee at the Gateway Market Cafe

• Showed G. Oliver around the Drake University campus

• Enjoyed a latte, a cookie and the free wi-fi at the Smokey Row Coffee House

• Had a wonderful dinner with friends

Now I am hanging out at The 1900 Inn, which seemed like an appropriate place for G. Oliver to stay.

Mar

Origins of a Music Man Tour: Day 1

I have embarked upon my Origins of a Music Man tour! G. Oliver and I left Northfield Saturday morning and arrived in Des Moines by early afternoon. The drive tired him out, so he stayed in the car while I did some touring for a travel story I’m writing about Des Moines.

Downtown Des Moines has changed quite a bit since the early 1990s, when I worked at the Des Moines Register. It was great fun to explore the shops in the Historic East Village and soak up the sun.

Mar

Band Boys and Genealogy Karma

Regular My Musical Family readers might remember that one of the exciting finds of my trip to Crookston two years ago was a 1916 photo of the Crookston Juvenile Band, directed by my great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs. The photo was hanging in the Polk County Historical Museum, and on the back was a numbered list of most of the 69 people pictured, including my grandfather, Ronald (No. 26) and my great uncle, Percy (No. 44).

Mar

Brown Bag Lunches and Food for Thought

March is turning out to be a crazy month, due to a convergence of writing deadlines, fun holidays (St. Patrick’s Day and spring break) and important, non-writing tasks, like getting our taxes ready. It’s all good stuff (except for the tax-prep part), but it’s making me feel a little frazzled. What I’d like to spend more time working on – and what will have to wait for at least another week – is the presentation I’m giving about my great-grandfather toward the end of the month.

Mar

Googling in the Afterlife

A solicitation arrived in the mailbox on Monday addressed to G. Oliver Riggs, my great-grandfather, who’s been dead for 66 years (and who never lived in Northfield, by the way). Either Google is not as omniscient as some people fear, or it knows something I don’t.

I read the letter and found it highly amusing to learn that Google wants to help G. Oliver promote his small business by offering him $100 in free advertising.