Making Thursday Nights Brighter in Jefferson County

This summer, the concertgoing experience at the AMP at Sam Michaels Park in Jefferson County, West Virginia, will have a slightly new look. New lighting, made possible by a grant from FirstEnergy Foundation, will make the facility grounds shine as brightly as the stars who take the stage.

Built in 2019 and located in Potomac Edison’s service territory, the 2,400-square-foot, open-air amphitheater is operated by the Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Commission (JCPRC). Last summer, JCPRC launched a free concert series at the facility after winning a $25,000 grant from the Levitt Foundation, a nonprofit that supports bringing people together through live music in public spaces. Grants from Levitt Foundation have helped produce free outdoor concerts in 20 small- to mid-sized towns and cities.

The 2021 Levitt AMP Shenandoah Junction Music Series at Sam Michaels Park consisted of 10 shows that were attended by more than 5,000 people. Given its success in 2021, the JCPRC received another $25,000 grant for a 2022 summer concert series. 

“There’s been a real need and desire for outdoor spaces,” said Jennifer Myers, director of the JCPRC, which operates nine county parks that encompass over 400 acres. “The AMP has been a wonderful addition to the community, and we were fortunate to have the first phase of its development completed when the pandemic hit.”

One issue that the JCPRC hoped to address before the 2022 concert series is lighting. The field where concertgoers gather around the stage is not well lit, requiring attendees to pack up and walk to their cars in the dark.

Enter the FirstEnergy Foundation, which recently made a $10,000 grant toward the installation of festoon – or café-style – lighting at the AMP. This spring, the JCPRC will install 530 lights that stretch from the stage and over the field. At the end of each concert, the overhead lights will go on, illuminating the field for guests. The lighting will also allow the JCPRC to use the property past sunset during holiday events and expand the number of events it holds at the AMP. 

This is the second grant the FirstEnergy Foundation has made toward improvements at the facility. In 2021, it made a $10,000 grant for the construction of an ADA accessible sidewalk leading from the parking lot to the field.

The AMP is being developed in seven phases, and the JCPRC hopes to add permanent restrooms and concession stands over the next year.

“The AMP is a local gathering space intended to strengthen the social fabric of the Jefferson County community, which is very much aligned with our mission at FirstEnergy,” said Thomas Butcher, a FirstEnergy external affairs consultant who covers Potomac Edison’s service territory in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. “We’re proud to support the JCPRC as it takes steps to further enhance the event experience at the AMP this summer.”

The FirstEnergy Foundation is funded solely by FirstEnergy Corp. and provides support to non-profit, tax-exempt health and human services agencies; educational organizations; cultural and arts programs and institutions; and civic groups in areas served by FirstEnergy's 10 electric operating companies and in areas where the company conducts business.   

CONTACT: Will Boye, (301) 790-6420