Shipyard: It’s not only about the music

Next to a weathered fishing boat in the middle of the Southeast Missourian’s rear parking lot sat a repurposed shipping container with good intentions Saturday. It was Day 2 of the Shipyard Music and Culture Festival in Cape Girardeau.

The second annual festival highlighted 11 nationally touring bands, featuring headliners Jukebox the Ghost and Colony House, with a mixture of unique cuisine and event-themed specialty drinks.

Baristas within the makeshift coffee shop — The Yard — offered free espresso, affogatos (espresso mixed with ice cream) and root beer floats to festival goers — all part of a bigger picture concocted by La Croix Church in Cape Girardeau.

American Aquarium frontman BJ Barham performs during the second-annual Shipyard music festival Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, at Ivers Square in Cape Girardeau.Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian

Team co-chairman Rob Petzoldt said the goal was to create a sense of community by giving back to the community, “because that’s what we’re about.”

The idea took four months to grow, but it was seen as a necessity, he said. Coffee was something Shipyard didn’t have last year, Petzoldt said, pointing to the unit on loan from Cape Rock Rentals.

“We partnered with Red Banner Coffee Roasters, asked them to come on board, and they were all in,” he said.

Team co-chairwoman Julie Ogles said they wanted to create a place where people felt they could come, hang out, enjoy the music and the atmosphere “in an environment that’s really fun and at home.”

And at the same time, “to break the barrier of the church being at something they’re usually not known for,” Petzoldt added.

Across the street in the Ivers Square courtyard, The Bank of Missouri social media coordinator Christopher Bonner was explaining to attendees how they can draw with multicolored chalk on an oversized blackboard for charity.

The bank is donating $2,019 to local charities, based on which organization is chosen by the artist, he said.

“We asked the community what four charities they wanted to see get some donations,” Bonner said. The charities were The People’s Shelter, Safehouse for Women, One City and Boys and Girls Club.

He said it was becoming something “we never thought it would be.”

“We wanted people to just color spaces and we were going to count the spaces, divide the $2,019 up between the four charities using that method,” Bonner said. “But people just started drawing, writing encouraging messages, and we just let it go. It’s become this community mural.”

Next door, shaded from the sun in front of a vinyl-wrapped van, were vinyl records of all genres, part of the pop-up Music Record Shop, from St. Louis — a new addition to the festival.

Business representative Mark Carter said they decided it would be a unique experience bringing the van — and a selection from the 3,000-square-foot store — to the festival.

Employee Scott Keuss said they had everything from pop and rock to jazz, country and blues.

“Last night, we had Dawson Hollow here; they came and signed some records,” he said. “And the other bands that are doing meet-and-greets, they’ll be selling their CDs.”

Profits from the autographed albums, Keuss said, will benefit Maryville University’s charitable organization, Kids Rock Cancer.