Catamount Arts is once again hosting the Levitt AMP concert series this summer, offering free, family-friendly music in St. Johnsbury. The series, which began in 2017, is funded by the Levitt Foundation and aims to strengthen community through live music, according to organizers.
Molly Stone, Catamount Arts Artistic Director, said she personally books the lineup each year. "The reason the St. J series has been so successful is because we're able to build a lineup specifically for this community while still working within the broader Levitt framework around access, inclusion, and creative place-making," she said.
Eleven concerts are scheduled. Most will be held on Sundays at Dog Mountain in July and August, starting July 12 at 5 p.m. The exception is the July 4 weekend. Additional concerts will take place during Final Friday events in downtown St. Johnsbury on the last Fridays of June, July, and August at 7 p.m. on Railroad Street.
The season kicks off June 26 with Brass Queens, an all-female brass band playing jazz-infused pop, at Final Fridays at 7 p.m.
Other performers include Dyer Davis (July 12), Albannach (July 19), and Mark Taylor (July 26), with more acts to be announced.
Gillian Sewake, director of Discover St. Johnsbury, praised the Dog Mountain concerts. "It's just such a unique experience, great music in an incredible scenic setting, surrounded by dogs and families," she said.
Amanda McDermott, creative director at Dog Mountain, said the series has become a community gathering. "It's a place where lots of reunions happen between friends and folks that haven't seen each other since last summer," she said.
Stone noted that St. Johnsbury has become a model within the Levitt network. She and Sewake were invited to present at the National Main Street Conference in Tulsa in April.
This year's highlights include a new Levitt series T-shirt, a returning Levitt passport program, a lineup of food trucks, and themed Final Fridays: "Rhythm & Ride" in June, "All Together Now" in July, and "Small Town, Big Fun" in August. Organizers are also preparing for the series' 10-year anniversary.
Photo: FriendlyToaster (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0). Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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