The 2022 Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series at Soldotna Creek Park came to a close on Wednesday. The Soldotna Chamber of Commerce announced at the final Music In The Park for the year that the Levitt Foundation awarded the chamber a three-year, $90,000 grant, which ensures Music In The Park can continue in the future.
Shanon Davis, Executive Director for the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce tells KSRM:
“We have been approved for our three-year Levitt AMP Soldotna Grant. This is a $30,000 grant yearly for three years. $90,000 to support free live music in Soldotna Creek Park all summer long.
Davis goes ‘behind the scenes’ of putting on a Music In The Park show:
“We can’t do this without our sponsors and I’m not sure if people really understand exactly how much goes into making these music nights happen. You’d think $30,000, that’s a lot of money, but our budget was right at $90,000. We’re talking about paying for sound. We’re paying our musicians a fair wage, because so many times these musicians, they’re just barely scraping by and we have to make sure that we’re supporting them for them to be able to continue to show up and entertain us week after week.”
Davis wrote that having this secure support base in place enables the Chamber to cultivate their series in an intentional manner, adding that ensuring the continued operation to support top-level talent, while also employing a programming strategy that is inclusive and diverse is important.
The city of Soldotna has benefited greatly over the past several years from the Levitt AMP grant awards, which is a grant opportunity that brings the joy of free, live music to small to mid-sized towns and cities all across the United States. Since 2015, the Levitt Foundation has provided funding to 38 communities across America through the Levitt AMP program, activating underused public spaces and promoting access to the arts and strengthening the social fabric of communities by bringing families and people of all backgrounds together to enjoy the outdoor concert series.
The 2022 Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series kicked off June 1 with a ‘color’ fun run. Record numbers of attendees have come to the park most weeks, according to Davis, with the overall average being 1,600. The most well attended show had nearly 2,500 people there.
