CONCERT LINEUP ANNOUNCED FOR 2023 LEVITT AMP BATESVILLE MUSIC SERIES
(Free, family-friendly outdoor concerts will feature a musical array of talents, artists, and genres)
The countdown to a memorable season of free concerts under the summer fun in Batesville AR is underway! Today the Levitt AMP Batesville Music Series announced its impressive lineup of artists who will perform at Riverside Park each Thursday at 7pm from May 18th to August 3rd. So grab your family, friends, and neighbors and get ready to experience the power of free, live music to bring our community together!
Sponsored in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, a social impact funder supporting nonprofits nationwide at the intersection of music, public space, and community building, the Levitt AMP Music Series injects new life into underused public spaces through free, outdoor concerts across the nation.
The Levitt AMP Batesville Music Series will present TEN free, family-friendly concerts to the public this summer at Riverside Park.
The series will feature a diverse lineup of high-caliber talent spanning genres like soul, folk, indy and rock and roll. Kicking off the series at 7pm on May 18th is Sam Allbright and the Southern Heat. Also scheduled to perform are artists such as Roy Saunders, Miles over Mountains, Saving Escape, Victor Wainwright and the Train, Country artist Mark Taylor, a soulful Marcella and her Lovers. Latin Grammy artist Gina Chavez, The Band Trippp along with Melody Angel.
The public is invited to bring their own picnics, blankets and lawn chairs to the concerts, which will have an open lawn setting. Along with free music there will also be a kid zone designated for children to run and play. A vendor alley, food trucks, outdoor games, art and SO MUCH MORE.
The Levitt AMP concert series is located at Riverside Park in Batesville AR. Admission is free.
Visit Main Street Batesville for a full schedule of concerts, directions and information on parking and wheelchair accessibility.
Last November, Batesville was named one of 33 small to mid-sized towns and cities across America to receive a Levitt AMP Batesville Grant Award of $90K in matching funds to present a free concert series at Riverside Park in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Main Street Batesville submitted the Levitt AMP proposal and is presenting the concert series. In an effort to inspire and engage communities across the country around the power of creative placemaking, the Levitt Foundation invited the public to choose the Top 20 finalists through online voting. Learn more about the grant recipients and the 300+ free Levitt AMP concerts across America at levitt.org/amp.
About: Main Street Batesville – Main Street Batesville is a non-profit organization located in Batesville AR. Their mission is to create a thriving downtown area within the historic district. Where individuals come to eat, shop, play and live. By launching this concert series it will help in their outreach to encourage individuals to visit Main Street Batesville and the downtown area. Showcasing that Main Street Batesville is a beautiful historic district filled with art, creativity and community engagement.
About: Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation – The Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation exists to strengthen the social fabric of America. We partner with communities to activate underused outdoor spaces, creating welcoming and inclusive destinations where the power of free, live music brings people together and invigorates community life. In 2023, more than 650 free Levitt concerts will take place in 42 towns and cities, featuring a broad array of music genres and high-caliber talent. Learn more at levitt.org
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew serves on the Arkansas Travel Council Board of Directors, is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current publicity chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.