The Arts in the Sunset and Friends of AJ Swope celebrated the inaugural performance and event Friday night at the newly finished AJ Swope Performance Plaza at Arts in the...

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A musical tribute to the late musician and business leader AJ Swope will christen the stage at the new AJ Swope Performance Plaza at Arts in the Sunset on Friday, Sept 15. The recently finished venue is located on Plains...

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Valero, a major refiner and employer with deep roots in the Texas Panhandle, has provided the lead gift of $200,000 in a fundraising effort to build the Texas Panhandle First Responders Memorial in downtown Amarillo.

The Friends of AJ Swope began fundraising this month for the First Responder Memorial. “We want people to get excited and become involved in making this happen,” says Gary Pitner, board member, Friends of AJ Swope.

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The AJ Swope Performance Plaza is now under construction and is expected to be completed in January. Friends of AJ Swope, a Texas non-profit, partnered with the Crouch Foundation to build the plaza at the Arts in the Sunset to honor the late musician and newscaster AJ Swope.

Plans to build a plaza in downtown Amarillo to honor a special member of our community lost too soon are underway. Craig Vaughn has some details on the AJ Swope Sporting Clay Shoot. It will be held Saturday, April 18th at River Braks Ranch.

Another portion will go toward the AJ Swope Plaza, an outdoor performance venue will be built to honor AJ Swope, a beloved local musician, after his untimely death.

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The Randall County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a benefit lunch from 11 a.m. to 01 p.m. The proceeds from the event will go to benefit the A.J. Swope Plaza.  The plaza to be built will be located in downtown Amarillo near the new MPEV.

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The Potter County Sheriff’s Office accepted a challenge and made a monetary notch in the belt to build the AJ Swope Plaza. Sheriff Brian Thomas presented Wendi Swope, AJ's widow, with $1280 Friday morning to help build the First Responders Memorial...

A new addition to downtown is in the works and you can help pay it forward today by donating to the cause.

Every year on A.J. Swope's birthday, his family and friends ask others to pay it forward.

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A gift to Amarillo and a posthumous honor, the Friends of AJ Swope are planning to construct a privately funded plaza downtown. The public green space will include a 300-seat amphitheater, the Texas Panhandle Walk of Fame and the Texas Panhandle's First Responders... 

Coming together as the "Friends of AJ Swope", those that knew Swope, as well as local leaders, are planning a privately-funded downtown plaza that includes a 300-seat amphitheater, a Panhandle Walk of Fame, and a Panhandle First Responders Memorial. 

Efforts to raise funds are now underway for a new plaza that will be in downtown Amarillo next to the MPEV.

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The AJ Swope Plaza is being proposed and will be located on Southeast 8th... 

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Arts in the Sunset and Friends of AJ Swope are celebrating the culmination of a years-long project coming to fruition, the grand opening of the AJ Swope Performing Arts Plaza.

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One thing Amarillo has seemingly lacked for quite some time are stages for musicians to perform for the community. Sure, there's live music at bars and other indoor places, but outdoor venues are lacking.

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Valero, a major refiner and employer with deep roots in the Texas Panhandle, has provided the lead gift of $200,000 in a fundraising effort to build the Texas Panhandle First Responders Memorial in downtown Amarillo.

A nonprofit organization in Amarillo is working with a local foundation to build a one-of-a-kind music venue in Amarillo. The multi-purpose venue is named after the late AJ Swope, a former employee at KVII-TV, who died in 2013. The AJ Swope Performance Plaza will...

During the City Council meeting on Tuesday, the City of Amarillo, in a 5 to 0 vote, approved the construction of a memorial downtown to honor first responders. According to the meeting agenda, the item discussed a lease agreement between the City of Amarillo and Friends of AJ Swope for property...

Robert "Bob" O'Rear was born in Wellington, Texas, and brought up in Perryton. TRW hired O'Rear to work on Air Force spy satellite programs. He also wrote programs that optimized the trajectory of Minuteman missiles during the Cold War.

Friends of Fogelberg is hosting its annual benefit concert for prostate cancer awareness on Friday, Sept 6 at the Globe-News Center for Performing Arts and will feature a host of popular area musicians on stage throughout the evening.

Randall County Sheriff’s Office is holding a benefit luncheon to help fund the upcoming A.J. Swope Plaza, which is slated to be located in downtown Amarillo.The hamburger luncheon will cost $7 and include a burger, chips, a cookie and a drink.

The Potter County Sheriff’s Office donated nearly $1,300 to the AJ Swope Plaza fund on Friday morning.

The Potter County Sheriff’s Office donated $1,300 to the memorial today, which aims to honor fallen first responders.

The Friends of AJ Swope have announced plans to build a privately-funded downtown plaza as a gift to Amarillo citizens that will include a 300-seat amphitheater, the Texas Panhandle Walk of Fame, and the Texas Panhandle First Responders Memorial.

More than 5 years since AJ Swope passed away, a plaza has been proposed in downtown to honor him. 

"We have proposed to the City of Amarillo to build a 300 seat amphitheater downtown in a really lovely green space that would also include a Texas 

A group of music lovers announced plans this week to build a privately funded plaza and amphitheater in downtown Amarillo.

The plaza will be named for beloved Amarillo singer-songwriter AJ Swope, 

After years of fundraising and evolutions in shape and location, the AJ Swope Performance Plaza will be dedicated to its namesake on Friday as it opens at Arts in the Sunset on Plains Boulevard...

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Fundraising efforts are underway for the Texas Panhandle First Responders Memorial. Valero has provided a lead gift of $200,000 to the memorial. The donation kickstarts fundraising for the $1.5 million project. The Texas...

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Valero donated $200,000 to build the Texas Panhandle First Responders Memorial in downtown Amarillo. The memorial will list names of the 91 Texas Panhandle law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical...

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The Friends of AJ Swope nonprofit organization recently released information regarding one of its community enhancement projects in Amarillo that is now under construction.

According to a news release from the nonprofit, Friends of AJ Swope has...

A clay shoot fundraiser is scheduled for April of this year. Organizers invite you to a day full of shooting and an evening full of fun Saturday, April 18th, at River Breaks Ranch. The Clay Shoot begins with a 1 p.m. check-in followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and concert by Zac Wilkerson.

Additionally, Friends of Fogelberg will provide details of a partnership with Friends of AJ Swope, an Amarillo-based group raising money for the AJ Swope Plaza, Texas Panhandle Walk of Fame and Texas Panhandle First Responders Memorial in downtown Amarillo.

The Friends of AJ Swope have a fund set up at the Amarillo Area Foundation. People can visit their website or go to ajswopeplaza.com with a link to the Amarillo Area Foundation's website. 

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The Randall County Sheriff's Office will host a fundraiser on March 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the proceeds going to benefit the A.J. Swope Plaza. The plaza is to be built near Hodgetown in downtown Amarillo.

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Around $250,000 in financial commitments are in place for construction of the AJ Swope Plaza, which will be located at Lincoln Street and Eighth Avenue southeast of the new baseball stadium.

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AJ Swope Plaza is a privately funded project that upon completion will be donated to the City of Amarillo for area residents to utilize as a place for remembrance, reflection, and celebration.

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“Whenever he decided to do something, he was going to give it 110 percent,” said former professor and friend, Randy Ray. “That's the way it was when he was a broadcaster, that's the way it was when he was working with wind energy, and that certainly was the way it was...

Most people knew AJ Swope for two things: his passion for wind energy management, and his love for music.

"He did something that most men, they strive their entire life to achieve...

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