One of the most vibrant, community-driven events in the Joplin area is just around the corner; this month, Main Street will be coming to life as MSSU takes over Third Thursday.
From March to October on the third of every Thursday, thousands of people from the surrounding area flock to Downtown Joplin to enjoy live music, delicious foods, and memorable fun. The event aims to showcase culture, entertainment, and all things local to the community.
Reid Williams, Director of Marketing at Missouri Southern State University, emphasizes that sponsoring this event serves as an excellent avenue for the Joplin community to foster stronger connections.
“It’s a great time for us to connect with the broader Joplin community,” Williams said. “Anytime we can, we can strengthen that relationship between Joplin and Missouri Southern as an institution…it’s a great positive; it’s something that we should always pursue.”
This month’s Third Thursday event is very important for not just uniting the public together, but also for uniting the students of MSSU.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for everyone to get together as a community and hang out,” MSSU Student Lauren Ellis said. “I really liked that…I enjoyed that everyone could come together.”
With MSSU being the sponsor, they will be showcasing a wide variety of what makes being a Lion so special.
“We’ll have various academic programs and clubs from [MSSU] there to connect with the Joplin community and show them what Southern is,” Williams said.
There will be several activities to partake in such as learning about local businesses, discovering future career opportunities, and even some fun-spending time playing yard games.
Ellis said that it’s a great opportunity for students to branch out of their comfort zones and really connect with the community and businesses in which they might be working with after they graduate.
“A lot of people are here and they’re just lost and don’t know what they want to do [with their life]…it is a time to find yourself,” Ellis continues by saying that she is grateful that MSSU provides opportunities like this and cares about their student’s successes after graduation. “I feel like that’s helpful that they do that.”
MSSU’s Third Thursday event is on September 21st and begins at 5:00 PM and ends at 8:00 PM in Downtown Joplin. For more information about this event, visit DowntownJoplin.com.
