Thousands turn out for Shipyard Music Festival, SEMO District Fair

There was a buzz in Cape Girardeau last weekend.

Friday night featured the annual Cape Central vs. Jackson football game. Southeast Missouri State University held its annual Parents Weekend, which included a number of events -- including the Redhawks football game at Houck Stadium. And in downtown Cape Girardeau, one of the area's marquee events was held at Century Casino: Shipyard Music Festival.

Back for Year 4, Shipyard was bigger and better than ever. Blessed with beautiful weather, attendance reached an all-time high for the two-day music festival. Nearly 5,000 people came out to hear the mix of national touring acts and local bands on two stages. Add in the tasty food and beverages, good friends, fun activities for kids and opportunities to support good causes, the event hit the mark all the way around.

Music this year featured The Burney Sisters, Mike Renick, Lowdown Brass Band, Arkansauce, Yonder Mountain String Band, Hunter Hathcoat, Wildermiss, Pfunk Dat, Mike Mains & The Branches, Jessie Ritter, Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Logan Chapman, Grizfolk, Jeremy Todd, Maggie Rose, Hounds and Samantha Fish.

The event, organized by rustmedia, is an opportunity to draw people to town and provide a first-class event for locals to enjoy. And it certainly cleared the bar on both accounts.

Check out the photos published in this weekend's edition of the Southeast Missourian. You can also view photo galleries online at semissourian.com.

Shipyard came on the heels of the SEMO District Fair, which also had another successful week-long event this year at Arena Park. The weather was beautiful throughout fair week, and organizers and volunteers did a great job with the festivities.

We're blessed to have quality events in Southeast Missouri. These provide quality entertainment options for those living in the area and also draw visitors from out of town.

Special thanks to all the organizers, volunteers, sponsors and attendees who helped make both Shipyard and the SEMO District Fair possible.