Free Concerts Return to Downtown Middlesboro Every Saturday Starting July 30, 2016

The Levitt AMP Middlesboro Music Series returns for the second year to the Levitt AMP Middlesboro Pop-Up Park—downtown Middlesboro’s increasingly vibrant green space that was formerly a vacant, gravel lot—to augment the city’s community-driven revitalization of its economically challenged downtown, encouraging further community investment in the arts and promoting Middlesboro as a cultural destination.

The Levitt AMP Middlesboro Music Series is supported in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, a private family foundation that empowers towns and cities across America to transform neglected public spaces into thriving destinations through the power of free, live music. In 2016, more than 450 free Levitt concerts will take place in 21 towns and cities, all featuring a rich array of music genres and high caliber talent. Learn more at levitt.org.

So bring a lawn chair, a picnic dinner, and enjoy an evening of free live music among friends and neighbors at the Levitt AMP Middlesboro Park, just off of Fountain Square in downtown Middlesboro. Opening acts start at 6pm and headliners go on at 7pm. See you at the show!

SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016 AT 7PM

ROOSEVELT DIME

Step back in time this summer with East Coast quartet Roosevelt Dime, that celebrates music of a bygone era with a toe-tapping fusion of acoustic Americana, folk, rock and rhythm and blues.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 06, 2016 AT 7PM

CIRCA BLUE

As its name implies, Circa Blue is all about bluegrass, fusing the old and the new through an irresistible combination of tight vocal harmonies, clean instrumentation and creative arrangements.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2016 AT 7PM

BILL LLOYD

Bill Lloyd—songwriter, guitarist, producer, musicologist and Nashville legend—is best known as one half of the ‘80s country-rock duo Foster & Lloyd.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2016 AT 7PM

JJ THAMES

“Mississippi Blues Diva” JJ Thames is a force of nature on stage, bending her magnificent, bluesy voice to a mix of R&B, funk, Motown, ska, reggae and soul.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 2016 AT 7PM

JENI CARR

Warm your heart this summer with Jeni Carr, an acclaimed country-rock singer/songwriter based in Nashville, Tenn.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2016 AT 7PM

ELAM MCKNIGHT BAND

Tennessee-based singer/songwriter Elam McKnight and his band draw upon the region’s blues, rock and country roots.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016 AT 7PM

MOLLY VENTER AND GOODNIGHT MOONSHINE

The husband and wife team of indie pop band Goodnight Moonshine puts real-life stories into song.

 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016 AT 7PM

JIM HURST TRIO

Award-winning bluegrass and country guitarist Jim Hurst brings his distinctive picking style and expressive voice to the Levitt AMP Middlesboro stage.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2016 AT 7PM

KRISTEN BRASSEL

Kristen Brassel mines her Southern roots for a honeyed blend of country, roots and pop.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2016 AT 7PM

GRADY CHAMPION

Harmonica virtuoso and blues singer Grady Champion captivates audiences with his energetic live performances.

AMP It Up Volunteer Event - July 27, 2016 - Downtown Middlesboro

Volunteers are at the heart of our work in downtown Middlesboro.

On July 27, volunteers from the tri-state area and beyond will gather to get Middlesboro ready for exciting summer events. Starting at 4 p.m. volunteers will gather in the Levitt AMP lot, in between the Public Library and Cumberland Avenue. Volunteers will help get the lot ready for the upcoming FREE concert series!  Others will build raised garden beds as part of the USDA’s Local Foods, Local Places Program. Please register by calling (606) 499-7894, e-mailing middlesborovolunteers@gmail.com or by going to our Facebook page, facebook.com/DDMboro.

The Levitt AMP Concert Series is coming back for a second year. Starting July 30 and running for 10 weeks there will be free concerts, events and a chance for everyone to come together for family-friendly fun. Volunteers will get the space ready, help prepare for food vendors and take ownership of the site.

We will be grilling out to feed our hungry helpers! Chips and drinks will be available also. Our urban garden has some healthy vegetables ready to eat on the side!

“This is an opportunity for community members to really come together to make Middlesboro work for them,” said Isaac Kremer, Executive Director of Discover Downtown Middlesboro. “We have the chance to transform the Historic Downtown into a place for everyone to enjoy year-round.”

           

Volunteers are asked to meet at 4 p.m. at the Levitt AMP lot. There is plenty of parking in the City Parking lot behind the Palace at 2008 Cumberland Avenue.

About Discover Downtown Middlesboro

Discover Downtown Middlesboro (DDM) is a non-profit organization that encourages citizen participation in the revitalization of Cumberland Avenue between 10th and 24th Street and several mixed-use walkable blocks to the north and south. We seek to improve the physical appearance of the downtown while maintaining its historic integrity; to retain existing businesses and to attract new ones; and to make downtown Middlesborough the center of the economic, civic, and social life of the Tri-State area. For more information, go to downtownmiddlesboro.org. 

Contact: Jackie Risner

AmeriCorps VISTA

Discover Downtown Middlesboro

(606) 499-7894

middlesborovolunteers@gmail.com

Partners for Education to Lead Regional Creative Asset Mapping Project – Volunteers and Citizen Input Needed

Partners for Education at Berea College (PFE) is launching an extensive creative asset mapping project across southeastern Kentucky. PFE aims to provide training and support to teams from each of eight Kentucky Promise Zone counties (Bell, Clay, Harlan, Knox, Leslie, Letcher, Perry and Whitley) to map and promote features of the region’s culture and heritage.

Between Summer 2016 and Fall 2017, teams will receive training, facilitate meetings and listening sessions, conduct interviews and collect stories and information on community strengths and features such as annual events, local customs, traditions, historical sites, performance spaces, locally-owned restaurants, artisans, performance ensembles, service organizations, educational resources, media production and more. The teams will collaborate to create an interactive map of cultural assets in the Promise Zone to share with residents, local governments, tourism commissions and community development groups.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). As a recipient of an NEA Our Town planning grant, Partners for Education hopes to use creative asset mapping as a first step in harnessing the arts to improve livability in the Promise Zone. PFE hopes the asset mapping process will grow social and civic engagement in the region and that it will be followed by additional arts-focused projects and funding.

PFE is currently seeking volunteers to serve on the eight county teams. Ideal candidates include youth, adults, artists, activists, educators, city council and chamber of commerce members, and people from any walks of life who care about their counties and want to shine a spotlight on positive features that make their communities unique. In addition to free training and support, participants will also be eligible for funding of community projects based upon their research. More information will be forthcoming regarding meetings, listening sessions and other opportunities for general input. Contact Sarah Campbell at Berea College Partners for Education to learn more or get involved: sarah_campbell@berea.edu, 859-200-9783.

Partners for Education at Berea College provides educational programming to children, families and schools to achieve the result – all Appalachian Kentucky youth succeed in school.

CONTACT: Sarah Campbell, Partners for Education at Berea College 859-200-9783, sarah_campbell@berea.edu