News : From throughout Iowa and beyond, Gary Morris fans fill Palace

Gary Morris sings at Vinton Palace Sunday evening.

Gary Morris jokes with the audience between songs during Sunday evening concert at the Palace.

It's not unusual to see cars with license plates from other counties parked in downtown Vinton, as people come to the Palace for its movies.

But on Sunday night, there were more cars with out-of-county plates, and cars from counties much further away than usual.

People from all over Iowa -- and says Marcy Horst, from all over the U.S. -- came to Vinton on Sunday to hear Gary Morris sing.

The theater was mostly full for both the 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows.

Gary Morris fans from the area who read about the concert on Vinton Today or in other media sources joined those who follow Gary on his web site or social media pages.

One group from Des Moines overcame unexpected road detours and arrived a little late for the Sunday night show. A nurse from Marion had recently had surgery on her leg. She did not let that stop her from seeing Gary Morris; she sat through much of the concert with her leg resting on the lap of her friend sitting next to her.

Another woman from Tama County said she has wondered what had happened to Gary Morris. Seeing him sing was on her "Bucket List," she told Vinton Today during intermission.

Morris took request from the audience, and was not afraid at times to admit that he could no longer remember words to songs he had written years ago.

He joked with the audience, shared stories about his life and the stories behind the songs.

Both the audience and Gary expressed an interest a future concert in Vinton.