G. Oliver couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t play an instrument. According to family lore, G. Oliver, his sister Daisy and their parents Jasper and Rebecca played gigs to earn extra money in the 1870s and 1880s while living in the Kansas territory and in Dorchester, Nebraska.

It’s not surprising that G. Oliver would marry someone who shared his passion for music. His wife, Islea Graham, was an accomplished pianist who studied in Chicago with Emil Liebling, a pupil of Franz Liszt. Islea grew up in Aledo, Illinois, and she married G. Oliver in 1898. She regularly performed in G. Oliver’s band and orchestra concerts. She also taught piano lessons, played for church services and played the organ for silent movies at the Paramount Theatre in St. Cloud.



G. Oliver and Islea had four children. Sons Ronald Graham and Percy Harrison both had careers as band directors. Ronald later became a professor of political science at St. Cloud State University. Daughter Rosalie and son G. Oliver Jr. died in childhood.

G. Oliver, Islea, Rosalie, and G. Oliver Jr. all are buried in Crookston, Minn.

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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