Last weekend my wife and I attended the West Coast Ragtime Festival in
Sacramento, CA.  For three days we heard the best in ragtime, slide,
and boogie-woogie piano supplemented by many other tunes from the "ragtime"
era played by some of the best pianists in the country. We heard the story
of how Chicago based QRS piano rolls played an important role in
popularizing this music.

Afterwards we spent a day at the California State Train Museum in Old
Sacramento.  For lunch we dropped into the nearby Fat City Bar and Cafe
and saw a Mills Violano with a well preserved quarter sawn oak cabinet.
According to the wait staff, the instrument hadn't been heard for many
years.  One person said the Cafe management would be interested in
hearing from someone who could provide information on the Violano to
include whether it could be brought back to life.  If anyone lives in
the Sacramento area, or is traveling through and can provide information
about the Violano, I can provide the contact information that the staff
person gave me.