No longer just for the younger crowds, The Bridge is offering a variety of events and activities throughout the week.

“The Bridge has an incredible amount to offer to college students,” said Lindsay Matush, marketing director. “We are an entertainment destination, a social hotspot, there’s a ton of stuff going on here. We’re one of the premier entertainment venues in the four-states.”

The Bridge is divided into three sections, the Bridge center, the Autumn Ramppark and the Foundry music venue.

The Bridge center consists of the climbing gym with a 40-foot wall, an arcade, a basketball court, a café and a MacIntosh computer lab. The Autumn Ramppark is comprised of a pro shop with skate and BMX apparel and equipment, a balcony view of the skate park and, of course, the skate park. The Foundry “celebrates music, art, film and culture.”

Focused on college-age crowds, The Foundry is run by Donnie Holt, manager.

“[There is] state of the art light and sound, really cool atmosphere, it’s even a great place to hang out when we’re not having shows,” he said.

The Bridge takes pride in its concerts. National bands come to perform a couple of nights a week, normally three to five bands a night. Currently, the style bounces around: Indie, rock, emo, hardcore, heavy metal and trying to eventually add country and bluegrass.

Cinna the Poet performs for the Foundry often, He is Legend recently performed, Static Lullybye is coming soon and Remembering Never is anticipated for November.

When the doors open at 3 p.m., The Bridge offers pizza, a soda bar with nine different types of root beer and Japanese sodas, caged basketball and dodge ball. There’s open mic at 5 p.m. for $5, and concerts start at 7 p.m., ranging from $3 to $20 approximately five days a week. On Thursdays, half-price wall climbing is available and from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. people 18 and older are welcomed.

“We offer $5 climbing with a college ID, when it’s normally $7 for a three hour session,” Matush said. “Our 3-6 p.m. session is a great time for college students to come and hang out because it’s really mellow around here.”

Even though the prime time for college students is Tuesday through Friday, Matush recommends dropping by for other activities The Bridge has to offer.

“It’s free to come in and hang out, if you just want to play on the Internet, or play basketball or dodge ball, or if you just want to study,” she said. “The biggest complaint I get from college students is that Joplin is boring and there’s nothing to do here. So, now there’s something to do.”

The Bridge expects several successful upcoming events, such as a dodge ball tournament and a big concert in November. Also, by the second week of October, they plan on having the coffee bar up and running.

The Bridge is located 3405 S Hammons Blvd. in Joplin. For more information, persons may call 417-206-6886, or go to www.thebridgejoplin.com