Performers entertain a large audience at the Levitt AMP Music concert in Galva’s Wiley Park during a summer concert in 2023. [Acquired photo]

The Levitt AMP summer concert series that has brought top-flight entertainment to Galva’s picturesque Wiley Park since 2018 is scheduled to return this year, but organizers are still trying to raise part of the funds needed to pull it off.

The Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation provides grant money to concert planners whose applications are selected and can provide matching funds. The 2024 grant award is $30,000 – which means the Levitt AMP Galva Music Series, acting as the local sponsor, will need to complete its goal of matching that amount. Currently, the group needs $10,000 to meet its target and is asking the public for support.

Beginning on Sunday, May 26, the series of eleven concerts will be provided free of charge to the public. A variety of great music is promised every Sunday evening through August 4, rain or shine, with a variety of food and drink vendors available.

While great music may free the soul, it needs funding to make it happen.

A member of the band Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas takes a selfie with a fan at the Levitt AMP Music concert in Galva’s Wiley Park during a summer concert in 2018. [Acquired photo]

Fundraising chair, Mindi Perkins has led the charge to raise the needed dollars.

“We need the community to join us in supporting these wonderful concerts,” said Perkins. “Nowhere else can you get such professional entertainment, free of charge, in a spacious park-like location.”

Attendance at past concerts has been as high as 1,200 and draws fans from as far away as Western Iowa, Chicago and Wisconsin. Unlike big city venues, there is plenty of parking and space to sit and enjoy the music. All that is required is a lawn chair or blanket and a love for great concerts.

Carlin Follis, music series board member, said that the yearly undertaking can’t happen without volunteers.

“With a volunteer crew of 40, we provide things such as tear down and set up for the performances, crowd counts, crafts for kids, housing and meals for the entertainers, and promotion for the event,” she said. Follis also noted such things as advertising, lodging and the golf carts used to transport concertgoers who need assistance all count as in-kind donations. “But that is in addition to the grant’s required $30,000,” said Follis. “This year’s eleven weekends and 22 acts take a lot of work and considerable funding.”

Professional artists from all corners of the globe have provided a wide range of musical performances from bluegrass to zydeco, rap to reggae, rock to folk, and everything in between. The two-act performances promise to provide something for everyone.

Performers have come from as far away as New Zealand, Africa, Ireland, and Sweden as well as American musicians from New York, Louisiana, Kentucky, and the like. The large, recently constructed stage has housed Grammy and Juno winners and hosted artists such as Samantha Fish who performs around the world to rave reviews.

The Galva Arts Council, Crossroads Community Connections and a wealth of local volunteers are planning for the Sunday concerts and are hard at work arranging the event. But they need more dollars to keep the momentum going.

The lineup of performers will be announced early in April, making the remaining funding vitally important. Donations can be made online at www.GalvaMusic.com, or by mail to The Galva Arts Council, P.O. Box 29, Galva, IL., 61434.