The Colusa City Council earlier this month approved contributing $15,000 to become a presenting sponsor of the Levitt AMP Colusa Music Series.
In November, the Colusa County Arts Council was awarded $90,000 from the Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation in matching funds for a community partnership committee to present free concerts in Veterans Memorial Park each summer through 2025.
“We will be expanding from seven free public concerts to 10,” said Colusa Grant Writer Fernanda Vanetta, who is spearheading the effort. “They will now be every week instead of every other week, and we will be bringing original music.”
The city spent $7,800 on concerts in the park in 2022, which came out of the recreation budget.
This year, the City Council will add $15,000 to the $30,000 the Art Council received in Levitt funds for 2023 to help the committee bring in high-end entertainment.
The city’s $15,000 cash contribution will be funded 50/50 by the city’s recreation department and economic development fund, officials said. The committee is also seeking sponsorship from other community organizations to help the city make improvements to the stage area.
Colusa City Manager Jessie Cain said he would like the city to build a covered stage, double the size of the existing stage, and ensure it has appropriate wiring and power for amplification and lighting.
City officials said they hope to breathe new life into the concert series, while bringing in a wide range of music styles – from country to jazz – that reflect the area’s diverse population.
“We are really excited about some of the bands we’ve been able to contact,” Vanetta said. “Some of them are grammy award nominees.”
The city will also be partnering with Carson City, another Levitt awardee, which will help get bands that play in larger venues on weekends for $50,000 to play in Colusa on Thursday night for a lower fee, largely because the Levitt Foundation is nationally recognized.
City officials said they hope improving concerts in the park will bring more people into the community, which translates into more business for local businesses.
The concerts will run each Thursday from June 15 to Aug. 17, beginning at 7 PM. ■