Despite a few raindrops falling from the sky on Wednesday, dozens gathered at Soldotna Creek Park to see off this year’s Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series.
Soldotna-based Ellie and the Echoes capped off 13 weeks of performances that began June 5 with Hope Social Club.
On Wednesday, lead singer Ellie Nelson kept the crowd entertained with a microphone in one hand and a tambourine in the other.
As the party was getting started at the park, Soldotna Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Maddy Olsen was delivering an update on chamber programming and performance — including about the Soldotna Music Series — to the Soldotna City Council.
This year’s attendance was up over last year’s, Olsen told the council, despite some heavy rain in recent weeks that dampened the crowds.
Average attendance, she said, was around 1,400 people this year, with a peak of 2,333. The opposite end of that spectrum was a particularly rainy evening last week that drew only 206.
That rain, though, can’t stop people from showing up and having fun — Olsen described a man who came with a lawn chair and a tarp to sit out and listen to the music.
“We’re winding down, but it is fun to see people will still come out, rain or shine, and support our music series,” she said. “We’ve also developed a reputation as a venue that truly values and cares for our artists.”
Olsen said the city is in the second year of its current three-year grant from the Levitt Foundation — which she said allows the series to attract both top talent and platform a wide range of acts. According to previous Clarion reporting, the city can potentially receive grant funding from Levitt to continue the Soldotna Music Series through 2031.
Even in the final hour of this year’s series on Wednesday, as vendors packed up for the last time, people could be seen dancing, milling about and enjoying one another’s company on the lawn.
For more information, including next year’s roster when it drops in spring 2025, find “Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series” on Facebook.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
Ellie and the Echoes perform the last night of the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Ellie and the Echoes perform the last night of the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Ellie and the Echoes perform the last night of the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Children dance as Ellie and the Echoes perform the last night of the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
