The Ship and Shore Blues and Soul Festival relaunches the decades old event

NEW BUFFALO, Mich. -- The Ship and Shore Festival relaunched in New Buffalo as the Ship and Shore Blues and Soul Festival.

The festival brought live jazz and blues music with organizers saying a reboot of the decade-old event was needed.

"COVID changed things; it never came back. And this was the right time. Besides the beach, we wanted to do something that would entertain the community throughout the year," said John Moultrie, the executive director at Exit One Events.

Larry Gough, a New Buffalo resident, says there's a lot more energy at this festival, " I love seeing the vendor support. I love the location. Live events have really stepped it up in a big way, and I think this will really build overtime."

Moultrie is open to bringing back element of the more than 30-year-old festival but hopes the relaunch will allow the festival to expand.

"It's not to say that we will never add fireworks, we will never add the boats again, or anything like that. It just means that this is where we begin."

Gough said events like this benefit the community by drawing in new visitors while also giving long-term locals a chance to reconnect with familiar faces.

"Yeah, we want to support local efforts, and you know encourage people like John to do more of this because this is what New Buffalo is about."

Exit One Events will host a Jazz and Wine Festival on September 5, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., at Lions Park.