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Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams
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Middlesboro, Kentucky © Levitt Foundation
At the heart of thriving Main Streets are vibrant public spaces that unite people of all ages and backgrounds and enrich community life. And what better way to activate public spaces than through the power of free, live music?
This year, five Main Street America members — Main Street Batesville, Main Street Fort Smith, Gallup MainStreet Arts and Cultural District, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, and Middlesboro Main Street—received creative placemaking grants from the Levitt Foundation. This grant program, the Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards, offers nonprofits in small to mid-sized towns and cities $90,000 multi-year matching grants to reimagine underused public spaces and create community-wide destinations through free outdoor concerts. Learn more about how these communities are leveraging their Levitt AMP Music Series to bring new life to their downtown and accomplish their Main Street goals.
Batesville, Arkansas © Levitt Foundation
Batesville, Arkansas © Levitt Foundation
Batesville, Arkansas
Batesville — Arkansas’ oldest city, founded more than 200 years ago — is home to 10,000 people in the White River valley of the Ozarks. As Executive Director Maggie Tipton says, quality of life is at the center of their work — “and that is where the Levitt comes in.”
“Without Levitt’s partnership and that funding piece, we never had the budget to be able to produce something like this for our community,” Tipton says. “Going into our second year with Levitt, we can really sense the impact that it has made with the people that live in our community… it is great to be able to see the same familiar faces every single show.”
When Main Street Batesville first applied for a Levitt AMP grant in 2022, they were aiming to energize their community by hosting a lineup of diverse music genres in Riverside Amphitheater, which sat empty most of the year. Now, as they make their way through their second season, Riverside Park is filled with locals and visitors alike enjoying free, live music. The park’s prime location on the banks of the White River is central to all of Batesville’s neighborhoods, and half a mile from downtown Batesville and Main Street.
Levitt concerts have also activated the wider Batesville community to become more civically engaged. When local organizations ask for engagement or input, it is often folks who attend Levitt AMP concerts who volunteer to share their time, ideas, and energy. In the first half of the spring 2024 series, Levitt AMP Batesville hosted the Humane Society and had a dozen adoptions take place during the concerts. For its fall 2024 series, they are partnering with Lyon College and the local University of Arkansas Community College. Both schools participate in a food pantry to help combat food insecurity for students and ensure they have healthy meals throughout their college experience.
Fort Smith, Arkansas © Levitt Foundation
Fort Smith, Arkansas © Levitt Foundation
Fort Smith, Arkansas © Levitt Foundation
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Nestled along the Arkansas River with a population of almost 90,000 residents, Fort Smith, Arkansas, credits Main Street Fort Smith for reenergizing its downtown over the last 17 years. In 2019, recognizing a need to provide accessible and engaging entertainment experiences, Main Street Fort Smith (then known as 64.6 Downtown) applied for a Levitt AMP grant to foster belonging and pride within the city.
Riverfront Amphitheater, home of Levitt AMP Fort Smith, resides at the core of this dynamic landscape. It is tucked between the Fort Smith National Historic site, a skate park, a dirt-biking park, and the U.S. Marshals Museum, and surrounded by nature and the diverse culture and local shops of Main Street.
Main Street Fort Smith Executive Director Amanda Hager credits the Levitt AMP Music Series with generating renewed interest in its Main Street by attracting folks who may not typically go downtown. Once people come for the concerts, they are impressed by the array of shops, beautiful nearby parks, and opportunities for social connection.
The momentum can be seen through new developments to build additional biking and walking trails to enhance pedestrian safety and an increasing number of new merchants and businesses making plans to open a storefront downtown. One of these businesses is Vinnie’s Pies, which started as a food truck and has been a staple vendor at Levitt AMP Fort Smith concerts. Earlier this year, they opened a restaurant downtown. Three years into the series, Hager credits the support of these developments to the growing audiences at the Levitt AMP series. “Levitt is helping us generate excitement about downtown… it is the biggest promotion that we do.”
Gallup, New Mexico © Levitt Foundation
Gallup, New Mexico © Levitt Foundation
Gallup, New Mexico © Levitt Foundation
Gallup, New Mexico
Sitting along Route 66, nestled among red rock mesas and sandstone bluffs, Gallup, New Mexico is rich with natural wonder and local Native American culture. Gallup MainStreet Arts and Cultural District brings together all segments of this high desert town of 22,000 to foster civic pride, promote economic vitality, and preserve and develop the cultural and historical resources of downtown Gallup.
In 2019, Gallup MainStreet applied for the Levitt AMP grant to bring new life and community pride to the downtown. Gallup is the only incorporated city of McKinley County, which serves multiple Native American reservations. At the time, many youth and families, especially on the reservations, had very little reason to come downtown. Since receiving the grant, the Levitt AMP Gallup Music Series has connected locals and visitors from all walks of life while bringing economic vitality to the community. “We have seen that 25% of our attendees go to local downtown restaurants before, during, and after the concerts,” says Executive Director Michael Bulloch.
And the numbers aren’t trivial: averaging about 500 people per concert, this summer, their biggest turnout was 1,000 attendees. “I think people are starting to see that downtown is a really great place for entertainment, shopping, and dining. We have seen an expansion in people feeling good about the community and wanting to support downtown more,” says Bulloch.
Taking place in McKinley County Courthouse Square, the concerts have helped inspire local efforts to bring more shade to the public plaza, which is covered in hardscape with a few trees around the perimeter with a central circle used as a pit for traditional Native American Dancers. During the summer months, the concrete space can feel even warmer, which prompted Bulloch to reach out to New Mexico Main Street to create a conceptual plan to re-envision the Plaza with landscape and architecture revitalization specialists, incorporating input from the community. “I feel confident that we will be able to get these changes made in the next couple of years, and it is all because of having Levitt here,” said Bulloch.
Harrisonburg, Virginia © Levitt Foundation
Harrisonburg, Virginia © Levitt Foundation
Harrisonburg, Virginia © Levitt Foundation
Harrisonburg, Virginia
“The Friendly City,” Harrisonburg sits between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountain ranges of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. With a population of over 50,000, Harrisonburg serves as a Refugee Resettlement Community, with immigrants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, and Syria calling the city home. Its local Main Street organization, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance embraces the town’s cultural diversity through welcoming, inclusive, and family-friendly events and programs.
Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance applied for the Levitt AMP grant in 2022 after completing an extensive public engagement process around developing a 20-year plan for the downtown’s future. Many residents asked for programming centered around diversity, and for the return of a beloved music series that ended in 2018. These concerts were a source of love and pride in the community, and the Downtown Renaissance was determined to bring them back.
Since receiving the Levitt AMP grant in 2023, the Turner Pavilion lawn (located adjacent to the city’s downtown) has become a mid-week retreat where people can catch up with friends, family, neighbors, and visitors. Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance Executive Director Andrea Dono says, “Everyone gets to come together and have a nice, relaxed evening. It has been great for our downtown… each week we see groups of chairs getting larger and larger.”
In its inaugural season, Levitt AMP Harrisonburg anticipated 600 people on average per show. By the third concert, they were attracting 1,000 people, with the largest show reaching over 1,600 people. And this past summer, the audience has only continued to grow, deepening relationships among members of the community and strengthening the cultural fabric of the city.
The series is also boosting local economic activity. Downtown Harrisonburg is home to over 35 locally owned restaurants, plus five breweries and a cidery. At each concert, attendees can get a taste of all that downtown has to offer through a rotating lineup of local food and beer vendors. These large audiences are the perfect place for local businesses to share their offerings with the wider community and generate excitement for those looking to expand their reach. “It is more than a concert series. It is more than live music. It really is economic development,” said Dono.
Middlesboro, Kentucky © Levitt Foundation
Middlesboro, Kentucky © Levitt Foundation
Middlesboro, Kentucky © Levitt Foundation
Middlesboro, Kentucky
In the heart of Appalachia, Middlesboro, Kentucky is just a stone’s throw from Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. For nearly a decade, the Levitt AMP Middlesboro Music Series, hosted by Middlesboro Main Street, has been a gamechanger for the community. The town of 10,000 has witnessed the revitalization of a former vacant public space, the local farmers market, and the addition of new shops and restaurants along its Main Street.
Levitt Park, the site of the series, was for many years a vacant gravel lot where a Woolworth’s department store and soda fountain once stood. Powered by volunteers, aka “Levittones,” the Levitt AMP series has transformed this space into a lively, arts-filled destination for music and community, complete with a volunteer-installed lawn, donated permanent stage, and wall mural created by a local artist.
During its first season in 2015, Middlesboro’s Main Street had no retail stores, and only one restaurant. Now, Middlesboro is flourishing with local businesses and community pride, which Middlesboro Main Street Executive Director Celia Shoffner attributes to “bringing people downtown for free music on Thursday nights.” To create a festival-like atmosphere during Levitt AMP concerts, Shoffner and her team work with the city to close the street across from the park and activate it with vendors, food trucks, and a bouncy house.
This year, Levitt AMP Middlesboro won the local newspaper’s “Best Community Event” award. Shoffner is excited for Middlesboro’s 10th season, and 100th concert in 2025. “We want the entire season to be joyful and celebratory, looking back on an amazing 10 years of live free music on the lawn, honoring all it has given our small town.”
The Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation is a national funder working at the intersection of music, public space, and community building. The Levitt Foundation partners with nonprofits and changemakers nationwide to bring outdoor concerts to towns and cities across the country each year. In 2024, over 650 free Levitt concerts will take place in over 50 communities coast to coast. These concerts go beyond bringing great tunes and incredible artistry to people in communities of all sizes. The Levitt model of free outdoor concerts sparks joy, fosters connections, nourishes well-being, and boosts economic opportunity — strengthening the social fabric of America.
Over the years, the Levitt Foundation has supported Main Street organizations to realize the power of free music in public spaces. The cross-sector nature of the Foundation’s grantmaking — which includes supporting downtown partnerships, arts councils, social service organizations, and more — makes Main Street organizations a natural fit for these grants as they strive to advance shared prosperity, create resilient economies, and improve quality of life through place-based economic development and community preservation.
Interested in leveraging the power of free, live music to strengthen the social and economic fabric of your Main Street? Visit levitt.org to learn more about the Levitt Foundation’s grant programs, including Levitt AMP, Levitt VIBE, and Levitt BLOC. Applications will open in 2025, so stay tuned!
Music has a unifying power to bring people of all generations, backgrounds, and cultures together for creative expression. Let’s explore how accessible, family-friendly music experiences can strengthen Main Streets across America to build stronger communities, one concert at a time!
Main Street America is pleased to announce the launch of a $1.8 million sub-grant program as part of our partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Thriving Communities Program.
Beloit, Kansas © Shane Hampton
Construction projects can put a lot of stress on your downtown. From preparation to completion, Brooke Prouty at Iowa Economic Development Authority shares best practices to help your Main Street thrive during construction.
Creating real change in business ownership starts with local communities leading the way, backed by strong partnerships and collaborations.
Learn how Main Streets can tap into federal resources to improve transportation infrastructure, take down barriers, and improve access to key services.
Main Street America is proud to announce the release of a new resource to help Main Streets and commercial district organizations better prepare for and respond to more frequent and severe disasters.
Marion, IA © Uptown Marion
This Boston Main Street installed an innovative street mural to highlight crosswalks and improve pedestrian safety.
These seven Main Streets have implemented innovative, exciting, and fun programs to help welcome dogs to their downtowns.
MSA President and CEO Erin Barnes explores how a holiday market in a public park brought a new focus on growing humanitarian needs in downtown city centers.
The RAISE program funds surface transportation projects with local and regional impact by enhancing safety, mobility, sustainability, and economic growth.
Streetscape improvements can make a big difference for Main Streets. © Grant Harper
Learn how Main Street America's work with the DOT's Thriving Communities Program is supporting transformative efforts with community partners like the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe.
Apply for federal funding to remove, retrofit, or mitigate transportation infrastructure that creates barriers to community connectivity.
Art is a powerful tool for community change. Learn how the arts can improve community engagement, boost economic development, and connect with the Main Street Approach.
Streets play an important role in our downtown districts. Learn more about Main Street America's recent work with the Department of Transportation to promote vibrant and sustainable downtown roadways.
Learn how the Safe Streets and Roads for All program is providing grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.
Streetscape in Denison, Texas. © Mel Climer — Climer Design
REV Birmingham and Woodlawn United share how they work to reenergize spaces and places in Birmingham, Alabama, through civic infrastructure projects in the city’s historic commercial corridors.
Learn how this Louisiana town has used an accessibility-first approach to build a welcoming and inclusive community.
Downtown Ruston, Louisiana. Photo by Henry McCoy.
Learn how the Little Five Points neighborhood of Atlanta uses this unique mural program to celebrate Valentine's Day and raise important funding for their work.
Learn how micromobility can increase access, equity, and inclusion in your Main Street with examples from local programs across the network.
This Washington Main Street is encouraging people to brave the rainy weather with their free umbrella share program.
Parking is a challenging problem for many Main Streets. We explored the arguments for and against free parking, and a method for conducting an inventory of parking in your downtown.
Miami, FL © Matt Alaniz
Learn how Bainbridge Island Downtown Association leverages their connection to the ferry to create a walkable and vibrant downtown.
Bainbridge Island, WA © Anna Carson
An innovative artistic project brings new life to the alleyways in Billings, Montana.
Billings, MT © Downtown Billings Alliance
In big cities and small towns, people face increasing danger when navigating communities on foot. As advocates for connected and walkable downtowns, Main Streets have a crucial role to play in increasing pedestrian safety.
Lansing, Michigan © Lansing 5:01
Learn how you can participate in the Thriving Communities program as a capacity builder or how you can receive support from the program.
To celebrate National Parks and Recreation Month, we explored three innovative and interesting parks-based projects and collaborations in Main Street communities.
Waterloo, Iowa, shares advice and lessons learned from their e-scooter program.
Learn how you can harness design principles and strategies to create a cooler, more welcoming downtown.
Main Street America was awarded $5.9 million to support 20 communities in the Main Streets Community of Practice through the Department of Transportation's Thriving Communities Program over the next two years.
The City of Leeds, AL welcomed a new downtown mural over the holidays that has brought a sense of excitement and anticipation for the continuing efforts to focus on the Leeds downtown district.
Leeds, AL © Jeremy Dove
What is more Iowan than turning grain bins into public art? Learn how Main Street Coon Rapids created these beautiful murals to celebrate their downtown.
Coon Rapids, IA © Main Street Coon Rapids
Pollinator gardens are fantastic ways to increase green space, promote sustainability, and educate your community on the local environment.
Crofton, MD © Kerry Kelly
The AARP Community Challenge program gives out quick-action grants to activate public spaces. Meet some of the Main Streets awarded grants through the program this year.
Learn how these outdoor microspaces can contribute to more vibrancy in our public spaces.
Chairman Emeritus Ed McMahon explores the power of place in creating spaces people love.
Boise, ID © christiannafzger
To support Georgia Main Streets throughout the recovery process and position them for long-term sustainability, Main Street America launched the Georgia Main Street Innovation Grant Program, made possible through generous support from The Williams Family Foundation of Georgia.
Thomasville, GA © Thomasville Main Street
Intentional placemaking has had many unexpected benefits for this Alabama town.
Wetumpka, AL © Jenny Sue Stubbs
We heard from organizations across the nation about the incredible impact their markets have had on community engagement, entrepreneur and small business support, and keeping their district vibrant.
Mount Airy Downtown, Inc., celebrated the return of their Market Street Arts and Entertainment District (MSA & ED) last weekend, as part of their pandemic recovery efforts.
Mount Airy, NC © Robbie Curlee
A vacant storefront is the perfect stage to creatively promote the available space or to showcase other businesses and events in the area.
Ripon, WI © RetailWorks, Inc
Interested in creating a StoryWalk in your downtown commercial district? Read on to learn more about installing a successful story walking trail.
In remembrance and in honor of Dr. Marin Luther King Jr., over 900 streets in the United States were named after him. Many are located predominantly in African American communities.
Milwaukee, WI © Historic King Drive BID
Dubbed the Blues Alley, the Ripley Main Street program plans to install murals of local pioneering Black blues artists, cutout guitars painted by local art students, and blues lyrics painted on the walls.
Ripley, MS © Ripley Main Street
Wayfinding guides people to places they seek but it also brings awareness to places they may have otherwise missed.
Since 2013, Try This West Virginia has sought to improve health environments in local communities as a collaboration of organizations working together to combat the health challenges facing West Virginians.
Main Street America partnered with OneMain Financial to create Made on Main Street.
Creating a historic or art walking tour is much more than simply a collection of pictures and descriptions.
Over 300 attendees enjoyed a family-friendly block party that celebrated the community and showcased Prosser's upcoming streetscape improvement project.
Cambridge was the first Main Street community in Maryland to install public chargers.
The Downtown Newton Development Association (North Carolina) partnered with the City of Newton on a temporary tactical urbanism project to demonstrate how their permanent streetscape improvements will benefit downtown.
Over 500 people braved the misty rain this past weekend to come and celebrate Painesville and its Made on Main Street community transformation project.
Wilson Artsy Alleys is an initiative of the Wilson Downtown Development Corporation which takes the arts to new locations in forgotten places.
In October 2017, Main Street Ottumwa collaborated with local partners, Main Street Iowa, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Better Block Foundation to stop planning, talking, and wishing, and start doing.
Kelly Tompkins of Main Street Enid shares more about the Maker Trail project and how it inspired creativity and helped people discover downtown.
The Metuchen Downtown Alliance created a cool, family-friendly public gathering space in “the worst looking spot in town” with the help of just $2,500 in Edward Jones Placemaking on Main Challenge matching grant funds,
A collaborative effort launched between Laramie Main Street Alliance (LMSA) and vertical farming company, Plenty, looked to blank downtown walls as a canvas for growing food, creating conversation, and activating overlooked spaces.
From walkability and transportation connectivity, to access to nature and availability of fresh food, place is inextricably linked to achieving positive health outcomes in rural America.
Beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower fountain through Main Street Paris's new Love Lock Fence.
Kasey Drummond, Glenrock Main Street Director, explains how they brought the acclaimed graffiti artist ARCY to their Main Street and explores the work he produced in three additional Wyoming communities on his summer tour.
Karen Dye, Newkirk Main Street's program manager, was inspired to “make downtown more fun and festive” with painted water meter covers after learning about the practice at a recent Main Street Now conference.
Appealing to mobility-challenged shoppers yields benefits beyond the store.
In contrast, the Main Street Program in Laramie, Wyoming, is thriving, having successfully cultivated millions of dollars to help fill these vacant, blighted spaces with permanent structures.
In this article we’ll explore the process of planning, funding, installing, operating, and enjoying music on your Main Street.
In 2016, the North Carolina Main Street & Rural Planning Center partnered with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Department of Interior Architecture (UNCG) to provide design assistance to Main Street communities.
Placemaking is a strategy that Six Corners Association has enthusiastically applied to our community development efforts because of its seamless integration with the Main Street Approach.
How one Wyoming Main Street implemented a free bike share program.
In 2015, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) partnered with the University of Wisconsin–Madison to engage Wisconsin Main Street organizations and farmers markets in the Metrics and Indicators for Impact – Farmers Markets (MIFI-FM) toolkit.
The local Main Street organization, Downtown Milford Inc., is trying to address these shifting demographics by creating a more inclusive sense of community.
This is the story of how a National Endowment for the Arts gathering in DC inspired the leaders of a small town in Appalachia to connect with those in Milwaukee to transform a neglected park.
Main Street communities across the country are no stranger to seeking creative strategies to solve their most nagging issues – vacant buildings, marketing downtown, bolstering retail to name a few.
This article is the second in a series on corridors and the important role they play in Main Street revitalization. The previous article focused on the historic origins of corridors, corridor types, and functions that they serve in our communities.
Façade appearance is a critical aspect of the overall aesthetic appeal and unique character of downtown.
While the Main Street program may not take the lead in corridor enhancements, it can be a vital partner and advocate for improvements in overall community appearance.
Street pole banners preserve the historic character of main streets while fostering community awareness and engagement.
With strong community support, the Library Foundation was able to raise over $1.2 million dollars in private donations.
A lot of signs are necessary to make a downtown work well, but not every community knows what a good sign system looks like, or how instrumental it can be to the creation of a successful downtown.
A key goal of the Atlanta Streetcar is to attract investment to and revitalize the neighborhoods along the streetcar alignment.
