It's easy to enjoy summer in Sioux Falls with various activities around the city, including the newest edition to downtown...Levitt Shell Sioux Falls.

This project was years in the making and Nancy Halverson from Levitt says this opening year was better than what they ever imagined.  "Our first season has been an overwhelming success on so many levels.  We have been thrilled with the quality of the artists, the attendance and support from our community overall have really made this a dream come true," says Nancy Halverson.

The community's input made a huge impact on why this first season was a success.  Voices heard throughout the Sioux Empire were a big part in deciding who would perform at Levitt.  Nancy states, "We asked for ideas from our community via social media which resulted in our inviting Spooncat, Jami Lynn, Sean Johnson, Brule' and Kory and the Fireflies to our stage.  We also knew we wanted to support the Jazz and Blues Society by bringing in the Jazz Diversity Project and JAS Quintet.   After that, we sought out regional, national and international touring groups that would cover a wide range of musical genres and represent the cultural diversity within our community."

Over 65,000 visitors from all ages attended 30 free live concerts at Levitt during the opening season.  This was also an economic boost for the city.  According to Nancy, businesses in the Jones Building reported that their sales tripled on show days.

So what's next?  Where does Levitt at the Falls go from here?  During the 2020 season, concert-goers can expect 50 shows that will run from late June until September.  "Our hope for the Levitt is that we continue to find ways to fulfill our mission of building community through music.  We want everyone to know that the Levitt is free and accessible no matter who you are and where you come from," says Nancy.  "We believe in music as a common language that can build harmony and understanding in a world that can sometimes create barriers between neighbors.  We look forward to 50 concerts in the summer of 2020 and continuing to work toward additional programmatic offerings throughout the year."

Thursday's performances welcome the international Irish group, "The High Kings," with local Irish step dancers kicking off the show.  On Friday, the all-female country group "Farewell Angelina" takes the stage to lead the crowd into the weekend.  Finally, on Saturday "Kory and the Fireflies" ends the 2019 season with Hailey Steele opening the show.

Visit Levitt at the Falls for more information about the final performances of the season and what's to come in 2020.

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