My thanks to the Sheboygan Press for asking me, as Sheboygan mayor, to present a weekly column, “A View from City Hall”. In these columns, I will bring you information about City projects and initiatives. I hope that you will find this column interesting and gain a better understanding of Sheboygan City government. Today, I would like to recognize those organizations and businesses that made it possible to start the new Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series.
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center headed up this successful program. They prepared the grant applications, booked the bands, set-up the stage and sound and arranged for the food trucks and beverage sales. Sheboygan truly is a great community and together with partners such as the Arts Center we are working to build a dining, arts and culture district – a destination for the best entertainment and recreation.
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center has been giving back to the community for nearly 50 years, enriching the lives of residents of the local community and the region through free to low-cost programming, and driving economic development by bolstering tourism, contributing to the local workforce, and funneling revenue back to the community through its visitors. The Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series has been another terrific Arts Center initiative – family friendly, free, and open to all. The incredible line-up of national and international musical groups this summer turned our beautiful new downtown green space, that not so long ago was the old Boston Store and parking lots, into a place to enjoy live music, to eat and drink, to meet old friends and make new ones, a place to build and to celebrate our community.
The concert series was assisted by the Levitt AMP $25,000 Grant (awarded to only 10 cities across the U.S.), is a result of a wonderful and important partnership between the Arts Center, Sheboygan Squared (formerly the Harbor Centre Business Improvement District), and the City of Sheboygan. The Wisconsin Department of Tourism also awarded the concert series a JEM Grant to promote Sheboygan as a destination for visitors. We are so grateful for the support of the JMKAC, the Sheboygan Squared merchants, and the Tourism Division of the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce and their recognition of the importance of the arts in our community.
The Sheboygan business community provided very generous support. Join me in thanking: Bank First National, Acuity, Sargento, Blue Harbor Resort, HSA Bank, Quasius Construction, Lakeland College, and Lakeside Pepsi. Our media sponsors were the Sheboygan Press and Midwest Communications. The wonderful nonprofits of Sheboygan were with us each Thursday, offering activities for all ages and abilities – 20 different groups were part of this summer’s fun. Many volunteers saw that everything was ready for each Thursday evening. Local food trucks provided many food options for the crowd in attendance.
The next Levitt AMP grant competition will open in November. We need your vote for Sheboygan to be one of the top choices for a concert venue in summer 2016. If you loved the music and had a great time this summer, help “close the books” on the 2015 concerts by making a contribution to the Arts Center for next year and you’ll receive a little “thank you gift”. JMKAC will email you a $5 discount code for any music, dance, or theatre performance this fall and winter at the Arts Center.