Video: Local City Preps for Free Summer Concert Series

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NEW ALBANY, Miss. (WCBI) — In just one week, the Earthgrace Riverview stage at New Albany’s Park Along the River is taking shape.

The stage will be finished in time for the first performance in the “Levitt Amp” concert series.

New Albany was one of 15 communities nationwide to win a “Levitt Amp” grant.

Each Saturday from June 4th through August 6th, a free concert will take place on the new stage. The diverse musical styles are expected to draw thousands for each show.

Teamwork was key in getting the grant and moving forward.

“New Albany is fantastic for this type of project. We have so many people at play in it, from business owners, to government, to community organizations,
everybody pulls together to make these things happen,” said Sean Johnson, executive director of New Albany Marketing and Tourism.

State funds are paying for the stage, which will free up more money for future events.

“Money we were spending on a stage can now be spent on more music, or more marketing and so forth,” Johnson said.

The Levitt Amp concert series will not only bring a lot of people to the park, right around the corner, downtown business owners are looking forward
to new customers at their restaurants, stores and specialty shops.

“I think this is a fantastic opportunity for our town,” said Mary Jennifer Russell, who owns “Sugaree’s Bakery”. She believes the concert series, along with the park, stage and other improvements, will have a big impact.

“This space is especially great, because it connects our recreational amenities, this property sits in the middle of all that, so if we can activate this space with cultural programming like we are planning to do this summer, then I think it has an opportunity to be a game changer for the
cultural tourism,” Russell said.

Russell points out that sponsorships are available for companies, and other groups for each concert in the series. For more information, go to http://concerts.levittamp.org/new_albany

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