On Sunday, Alna’s Roger Whitney recalled playing Head Tide Church’s 1894 organ for a wedding party that wasn’t there. He played the prelude, he said. “All of a sudden, this school bus comes up.”

Out everyone came from it, for the wedding. That was different from any other weddings he’s played there, the town’s longtime assistant fire chief and retired Wiscasset music teacher told about 70 attendees of his demo of the Estey organ, back from refurbishing.

He has played the white oak organ off and on for decades and it always worked, he said. It has so many combinations, he still doesn’t know them all. He learns something new every time he plays it.

It has withstood winter's deep cold and summer’s heat, Whitney said. And he said Nick Orso Organ Service in Portland restored it beautifully. The gathering applauded Orso, seated among them in the pews. He later thanked the town for entrusting the work to him, and he said all that cold and all that heat did not hurt the organ because the temperatures weren’t constantly changing as they do in buildings where people turn the heat up and down as they come and go.

Orso checked all over the country for a lampholder to replace one on the organ. He got one from a man who found it among his barn full of organs in Palmer, Massachusetts.

The organ was a joy to restore, Orso said. "Enjoy it."

Whitney wasn’t sure how the church got the organ but he doubted it was in the church’s days with a congregation, because ministers traveled around to churches with their instruments then, he said.

Some interviewed said Whitney was part of the draw for them.

Dave Buczkowski said he came because Whitney is a friend and because he wanted to learn about the organ that is part of Head Tide and the town.

Lois Shiels of Damariscotta loves organ music. Sitting between First Congregational Church of Wiscasset pastor Josh Fitterling and fellow First Congregational member Jan Whitfield, Shiels said she had never been to the Alna church. “It’s wonderful.” She would like to return and look around it more, she said.

Whitney played parts of "America the Beautiful" and other songs he said were popular when the organ was new more than a century ago. A few hands went up when he asked how many went to the University of Maine. Then he played the "Maine Stein Song" the event program said dates to 1902.

Alna Second Selectman Ed Pentaleri said of the afternoon event at the 1838, town-owned church, "I think this is exactly the kind of thing the town should be doing to help the town appreciate the value of its historic properties."

The sun broke through and the day's gray sky turned blue as attendees arrived, some via shuttle from a nearby field. Suki Flanagan of Friends of the Head Tide Church was pleased at the turnout. "We're really pleased to have (the organ) back up and running," she added.