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


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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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dad and Sebastian were not the only ones playing Taps today.

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).
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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.

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.

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.
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