The first concert at the United Presbyterian Church, performed by organist Kyler Brown of New York City, had to compete with the University of Iowa playing in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
Glasscock said the crowd of more than 125 people exceeded her expectations for the first event.
"What was interesting [was] when we first started selling these tickets, the first 40 tickets came from out-of-town people [who] were so excited to come from as far away as Ames and Iowa City," Glasscock said.
That type of enthusiasm continued throughout the two day event, which featured organists from NYC, Dallas, and Chicago who had roots in Keokuk.
Kyler Brown, who has worked as a professional church musician for the last 35 years in NYC, said it was a no-brainer for him to return to his hometown to participate.
"It's wonderful to come back home and play on instruments that I grew up practicing on as a kid," Brown said. "Just to see the excitement and energy that's gone into planning an event like this."
Brown got his start as an organist in Keokuk. His passion for the instrument was sparked while attending church one day as a seven-year-old.
“There was something different about church that particular Sunday," Brown said. "It was that there was a visiting organist who made the organ sort of 'rock and roll.' From that moment on, I wanted to be an organist,” he said.
Brown studied under several skilled organists in Keokuk, after learning how to play the piano.
"A lovely woman named Teresa Weigand, who was the organist at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, took me as a student and I studied with her for a number of years, and then started studying with Doris Heller, who was the organist here at the Presbyterian Church,” he said.
Returning organist Michael Lindner, music director at All Saints Anglican Church in Chicago, has a similar story.
He said a chance meeting led to his taking up the pipe organ.
"I began at the age of eight, following my attendance at a Virgil Fox concert," Lindner said. "At the end of the concert, Virgil would autograph records and after he signed mine, he leaned over and looked me in the eyes and said, 'You're going to be a great organist' and the rest is history," he said.
Lindner has performed around the world and has even appeared on the television program, Walker Texas Ranger. He said he never considered another instrument, adding that the pipe organ is a constant challenge.
As part of the festival, Lindner led a hands-on session on the pipe organ for kids. They got to sit with him on the bench while he performed some classics.
He said it's important to show kids the benefits of music, and the arts in general, because they are the ones who will maintain Keokuk's cultural scene.
Lindner recalls a point where Keokuk had "a community chorus. There were many organists and fine pianists here in the local area. I think it is the hope that we can capitalize on that and recapture that," he said.
Glasscock said organizers reached out to the local organists to find out who they should invite back, settling on Brown, Lindner and Arlene Lindner-Small. The three each held a concert in venues such as Keokuk's United Presbyterian Church and Nauvoo's St. Peter and Paul Church.
Glasscock said the idea for the event came out of a simple brainstorming session.
"It just struck a chord with us because we are known for producing some really wonderful organists, as this weekend is a testimony to, and it just blossomed from there,” she said.
Glasscock said this will become an annual event, focusing on music. She said the instrument of choice could change from year to year.
