Shipyard promises fun, outdoor concert in downtown Cape Girardeau

The last time Cape Girardeau hosted a large music fest downtown, there was no casino.

There was no Marquette Tech; no Minglewood; no Broadway streetscape with heavy foot traffic.

Downtown Cape is a different place, and a different demographic works here.

Shipyard, a seven-act music festival with up-and-coming bands, will be an experiment to see just how different the face of Cape Girardeau’s downtown has become.

The event is organized by The Scout, a daily email outlet that highlights food, music, culture and positive stories. Shipyard will be a day-long musical party like nothing Cape Girardeau has seen so far. It will take place Sept. 22 at Ivers Square, using not just the area by the courthouse, but the street and parking lots behind the Southeast Missourian office.

A 32-foot stage will be positioned between the Common Pleas Courthouse and Ivers Square gazebo — facing the Southeast Missourian — where bands will provide a mixture of high energy, rock ’n’ roll and country.

“We have a lot of great, local music in Cape already. The fair is incredible and does great things for the city,” Jeff Rawson, rustmedia creative director, said. “We have Tunes at Twilight and all those great community events. We were just going to add to that. ...”

The event promises to be something innovative and different.

The seven music acts are touring bands that have opened for some of the country’s most popular artists, and project to make it to the national stage. Some already have songs on the charts.

The bands are:

* Jamestown Revival

* Vinyl Theatre

* A Thousand Horses

* Greeting Committee

* * repeat repeat

* Elliot Root

* Ryan Corn

Tickets can be purchased for $30 by going to www.shipyardfest.com or by going directly to www.eventbrite.com and searching Shipyard. We’ll see you and your friends at 11 a.m. Sept. 22.