Some stories refuse to stay buried.
On Friday, Nov. 13, the Ludington Area Center for the Arts (LACA) will present STORM: Ludington, a one-of-a-kind multimedia concert experience that brings the dramatic history of the Great Lakes to life through music, film, storytelling, and firsthand accounts of survival.
Beginning at 7 p.m. in LACA’s Bob & Kay Neal Performance Hall, STORM: Ludington takes audiences beneath the waters of Lake Michigan and into the heart of some of the region’s most compelling maritime stories. The production combines stunning underwater footage, rare interviews, historic photographs, eyewitness testimony, and live music to create an unforgettable evening that is equal parts concert, documentary, and theatrical experience.
Hosted by acclaimed maritime historian and diver Ric Mixter, the program explores Ludington’s rich maritime heritage, from the city’s lumbering boom to modern shipwreck discoveries that continue to capture the imagination of divers and historians alike. Among the stories featured is the tragic loss of the Adella Shores, a freighter loaded in Ludington for Morton Salt before disappearing into the waters of the Great Lakes.
Mixter is widely recognized as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on Great Lakes shipwrecks. He was the first documentarian to tell the story of the Carl Bradley, Lake Michigan’s largest shipwreck, and has personally descended in a submersible to visit the legendary wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The evening also recounts one of the most remarkable rescue stories in Great Lakes history, featuring firsthand survivor testimony from the Novadoc, whose wreckage still rests near the dunes of Mears following one of the most devastating storms ever to strike Lake Michigan.
Accompanying the stories is renowned Great Lakes songwriter Dan Hall, whose original compositions provide a moving soundtrack to the images and accounts presented throughout the evening. His music transforms maritime history into a deeply personal and emotional experience, connecting audiences to the people, vessels, and communities whose stories continue to echo across the inland seas.
“STORM: Ludington” offers something truly unique for local residents and visitors alike. Whether you are fascinated by shipwrecks, love Great Lakes history, enjoy live music, or simply appreciate a powerful story well told, this immersive production promises an evening unlike anything else to visit Ludington this year.
One night. One concert. Countless stories rising from the depths of the Great Lakes.
Location:
Ludington Area Center for the Arts
107 S. Harrison St., Ludington, MI