Levitt music series in Fort Smith postponed to 2021

The Levitt AMP Fort Smith Music Series will be postponed until summer 2021. Organizers chose to postpone the series, originally scheduled July through September, because of the unpredictability of the COVID-19 situation, a news release from 64.6 Downtown said.

“In this time of uncertainty, our community’s health, safety and well-being remain 64.6 Downtown’s top priority,” the release said. “This decision did not come easily, as it impacts many people in our community, including artists, partners, sponsors and volunteers, in addition to the hundreds of friends, families and neighbors who we anticipated enjoying free Levitt AMP concerts at the Riverfront Amphitheater this summer.”

The Levitt Foundation listed 64.6 Downtown as one of 20 recipients of the 2020 Levitt [Your City] AMP Grant Awards in December. The awards are a matching grant program made possible by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, a national organization “dedicated to strengthening the social fabric of America through the power of free, live music. With Levitt AMP, the joy of free, live music is bringing communities together in small and mid-sized towns and cities across the country,” the website states.

The Levitt’s program of permanent outdoor music venues presents more than 50 free concerts yearly in large metropolitan areas, but these grant awards are specifically designed for smaller cities.

64.6 Downtown was chosen as finalist in October. Online voting from Nov. 1-20 made them a winner. The music series will highlight specific genres: Americana, funk, R&B, blues and indie rock, providing concerts that are diverse and family oriented, she said.

The 2020 Levitt grant funds will remain available to 64.6 Downtown in 2021 without them having to go back through the voting process, said 64.6 Downtown Executive Director Talicia Richardson.

“The beauty of the Levitt Foundation is that they have permanent venues operating across the United State, so they know firsthand the impact on the Levitt AMP [City] Music Series grantees. As a result, they have graciously provided each city with the option to postpone their music series by moving their grant funding to 2021…,” Richardson said. “The Levitt Foundation is a stellar organization and has been a support for 64.6 Downtown through this entire process.”