From March to October, Main Street in downtown Joplin goes from an ordinary downtown into a bustling street festival, bringing in thousands of locals, and visitors fill the streets to explore a vibrant mix of booths, live performances, and food offerings. This month, downtown will be illuminated in green and gold as MSSU takes over the festival Thursday, Sept. 18, beginning at 5:30 PM.

Sstudents and faculty from every department will be showing off themselves, their campus organizations, sports teams, everything that makes life at MSSU great. It will also let students give the community a closer look at the university’s energy and school spirit.

This is the 18th year Third Thursday has been hosted by the Downtown Joplin Alliance. Each event draws in artists, vendors, and food trucks from across the region for a variety of themed events. This will be the second-to-last Third Thursday event of the year. The final one is scheduled for Oct. 16, where the theme will be “Harvest Festival.”

For more information, visit the Downtown Joplin Alliance home page at www.downtownjoplin.com.