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Organizer asks Shelbyville to help win Levitt Amp concert-series grant
Summary
Aaron White told the Shelbyville study session that the city advanced to the second phase of the Levitt Amp grant and asked the council to help promote a public vote Sept. 5–15; no city cash was requested, only assistance with outreach and the public space.
Aaron White, owner of Ed Pfeiffer Appliance, told the Shelbyville mayor and city council study session that Shelbyville has advanced to the second phase of the Levitt Amp grant and asked the council for help getting community votes to secure the award.
The Levitt Amp program, if awarded, would provide a three-year grant to support a free family concert series in the Riverview District pedestrian walkway. White said the total award would be “over a $110,000, in grant funding over the course of 3 years. The first year will be 30,000. The second year will be 40,000, and the third year will be 40,000.” He said the first-year funding would support seven to eight concerts and the second and third years would support about 10 free concerts each year.
White framed the proposal as an early-stage community-led effort to animate the downtown and connect the square to the Duck River. He said partners named in the grant application include Cooper Steel, the Center for Family Development, the Shelbyville Bedford Community Foundation (spearheaded by Beth Davis), and local schools. White asked the council to help “spread the word” for a public voting period he said runs Sept. 5 through Sept. 15; voters can text the keyword Shelby or vote online during that window.
Why it matters: the program markets participating cities to regional audiences and provides operating support for a free outdoor concert series; community votes are part of Levitt Foundation’s selection criteria for this round.
Details and next steps: White said the Levitt Foundation will award $1,500 immediately to begin promotion and that the city’s role would be to provide the event space (the Riverview pedestrian walkway/overlook). He said the grant application sought $15,000 in cash match and $15,000 in volunteer/in-kind support, with Cooper Steel committed to a $10,000 cash match and an additional $5,000 in kind. White said the city was not being asked to provide operating dollars for the concerts, only to help with outreach and to make public space available.
Quote: “We just want your help on spreading the word and any resources to be able to vote and win,” Aaron White said during public comment.
Community context: White described the initiative as focused on family-friendly programming and pedestrian connections between the downtown square, local businesses and the river. He said only a small number of Tennessee communities have Levitt Amp programs, and the foundation will not award to communities within 75 miles of each other.
No formal council action on the request was recorded at the study session; White’s appeal was presented during public comment.
