Shipyard Music Festival sets sail this weekend in downtown Cape

It's "aboat" time for downtown Cape Girardeau's third Shipyard Music Festival.

The event will be held Friday and Saturday at Century Casino Cape Girardeau and feature two stages, one sponsored by Southeast Missouri State University and one by the casino.

The festival will feature 11 nationally-touring bands and seven local musicians performing at the event; five Friday and 14 Saturday. The Friday night show kicks off with Roanoke, followed by locals Ivas John and Jason Heeter, with Motherfolk and Sun Volt finishing off the night.

Shipyard was formed out of the daily email The Scout, which addresses the positive people, places and events within the local community and the Midwest. Rustmedia creative director and Shipyard Music Festival organizer Jeff Rawson said when he founded the event in 2018, he wanted to create a large outdoor event with music and food to bring people together.

"The idea was to bring in touring bands from around the country and then tie our local acts in with that after the first couple of years to kind of continue to grow a bigger audience from both in Cape and outside of Cape," Rawson said.

The name Shipyard came from the proximity of the river and the history of the region.

"I always wanted there to be a tie to the history and culture of this area and kind of a nod to our geographic location, but I didn't want it to just be like paddle boats, ship wheels and steering wheels," Rawson said.

Aside from music, food and beverages, Shipyard will have a variety of activities happening, such as the Missouri Department of Conservation and Arts Council of Southeast Missouri partnering to create an interactive art installation using plastic cups, metal and aluminum bottles. The installation will be planted somewhere within the venue.

"There will be a legacy outside of Shipyard, and that's something we looked at building, annually leaving something behind from the show that enriches the place," Rawson said.

Rustmedia project and event manager Jamie Phillips said in the past years, The Bank of Missouri has set up a large, interactive art exhibit. The Visit Cape Convention and Visitors Bureau had a postcard writing activity, and Saint Francis Healthcare System donated a water trailer for free water.

"This year, I know that one of the big sponsors is going to have a tie-dye experience where you can tie-dye bandanas," Phillips said.

Some of the food vendors at Shipyard 2021 include Mary Jane bourbon + smokehouse, The German Cook, Sedona Bistro and Sushi by Angel.

Ticket prices range from $35 to $120 and may be purchased at www.shipyardfest.com. Tickets only have to be purchased once and are good for admission to both days of the festival.

Trades 'trash for treasure'

During the festival, attendees may participate in a recycling event sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department and various artists from the local area. Dave Pfanstiel is the lead artist on the recycling event.

Pfanstiel explained festival patrons can exchange their plastic beverage cups with a volunteer for a packet of seeds. They may either keep the packet or add it to an art installation at the festival. The seed packets are different colors and the goal is to hang around 1,500 packets on the installation.

The idea behind the event is to leave the Shipyard grounds in better shape than when visitors first come into it. The seed packets will consist of flora found in Missouri and the surrounding area. Donated packets will be planted in a seed lot between Bloomfield Street and Hanover Street in Cape Girardeau, beautifying the local area and promoting the betterment of the community.

As a touring musician of eight years, Pfanstiel understands the effects large music performances can have on the environment.

"It always made me feel like there was a missing link to the well-rounded nature of a good experience," Pfanstiel said. "Oftentimes, in our humanness, we come to something solely for what we get out of it, [but] there's a roundedness to an experience. If we can see things full circle and see something through to the end, spaces are just taken care of."

Children's activities

Children 10 and younger have free admission, and there are plenty of activities and games for youngsters to do throughout the weekend.

"Not necessarily to make it a kiddie event, but just so that people that do have kids don't feel like they have to find a babysitter," Phillips said. "Also, to just really foster an appreciation of the music and the arts in kids."

The kids' tent schedule is:

Friday

5 p.m.: Make a friendship bracelet

6 p.m.: Make a kazoo

7 p.m.: Get your face painted and make a magnet

Saturday

11 a.m.: Make a friendship bracelet

12:30 p.m.: Make a kazoo

1:30 p.m.: Make a puppet

2:30 p.m.: Cooking class/make a snack

3 p.m.: Get your hair wrapped

4 p.m.: Play carnival games

5 p.m.: Do kids' yoga with Shakti and Free

6 p.m.: Make a magnet

7 p.m.: Get your face painted

7:30 p.m.: Glow-in-the-dark bracelet and necklace handouts