Community Calendar

Presenters: Kansas Health Institute and local expert on community hunger
Learn: Current and upcoming changes in programs that reduce food insecurity like SNAP
Optional: Bring items for local food pantry
Meal: Provided by Crawford County Democrats

For 18 years we offer Free, Family friendly, date night fun, walkability, on street parking, 6 or more inside venues monthly with receptions and artists to greet you! Live solo musicians at 3 venues.

We are open every Saturday, all year around! Come shop the largest selection of freshly picked and locally grown fruits and veggies in the area. Our farmers grow winter veggies in hoop houses and greenhouses. Support your local Farmers!!

The Empire Market is a four-season city market that combines farm fresh goodness, hand-crafted products, community gardens and local gourmet food, all in one location that is easily accessible to the Joplin community. Customers can shop for their weekly groceries, find unique gifts, enjoy live music and a meal, all within the market’s laid back atmosphere.

Open 10am-2pm, every Saturday.
931 E 4th St
Joplin MO

100 Women Who Care meet quarterly to hear from 3 local charities from the Jasper or Newton counties. After each charity gives a 10 minute presentation, the attending members vote. The charity with the majority of the votes receives a $100 check from each member. Members add their favorite charity's names to a hat and three charities are chosen out of the hat to be invited to present at the next meeting.
100 Women Who Care is designed for the busy woman. The meetings are one hour or less. Attendance is in person or through Zoom. There is no black dress event, no dry chicken meal, no unwanted item to purchase, no 5K to run. Charities may not add us to their mailing list.
Do not miss out on this opportunity to be a "hero" for our local charities. Check out our Facebook page - 100 Women Who Care Jasper/Newton.

The Empire Market is a four-season city market that combines farm fresh goodness, hand-crafted products, community gardens and local gourmet food, all in one location that is easily accessible to the Joplin community. Customers can shop for their weekly groceries, find unique gifts, enjoy live music and a meal, all within the market’s laid back atmosphere.

Open 10am-2pm, every Saturday.
931 E 4th St
Joplin MO

Women Helping Women: A Fairy Godmothers’ Fund (WHW) will host its sixth annual Brunch fundraiser on April 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at a new location this year, Kansas Crossing Casino.
The event will feature a silent auction and raffle with themed gift baskets from local businesses, restaurants, and boutiques. Larger raffle prizes will also be available, including Kansas City Chiefs tickets located directly behind the end zone.
Women Helping Women provides one-time emergency financial support grants to women throughout six southeast Kansas counties: Allen, Bourbon, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette, and Neosho. The nonprofit operates entirely through community donations, along with select grants through the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas.
Community partners who help connect women with the program say the support can be life-changing.
“Your help would not only restore her ability to work, but also give her hope, stability and the chance to move forward with dignity after trauma,” said one partner agency representative.
The annual brunch serves as the organization’s largest fundraiser and provides the majority of the funds used to support local women throughout the year.
In 2025, WHW exceeded its previous record for financial assistance, helping more than 225 people through 82 grants totaling over $42,000. However, the need continues to increase each year. The organization’s funds are currently nearly depleted, with less than $5,000 available. The brunch fundraiser, along with continued donations throughout the year, is vital to sustaining the group’s mission.
Sponsorships help defray event costs, and as community need grows, the demand for additional sponsors continues to increase as well. Additional support opportunities include donating raffle items, experiences, or gift certificates from local businesses.
Women Helping Women fills critical gaps when other assistance programs are unable to help. Grants may cover urgent needs such as unexpected medical expenses, vehicle repairs, household repairs or appliances, and basic household items for women establishing new homes after leaving domestic violence situations. Many recipients are single mothers or disabled women without strong social support systems.
In one recent case, a grant helped cover dental extractions so a woman could move forward with a long-delayed shoulder surgery.
“The grant will fund the extractions for the patient’s dental health, and she will be cleared to get her shoulder surgery,” a partner agency representative explained. “The patient also shared that her teeth are painful, so this will help her feel better as well.”
In 2025, the average grant amount was $514, and the average recipient age was 47. While modest, these grants can make the difference between maintaining transportation, keeping employment, or avoiding homelessness.
One grant recipient shared how assistance with vehicle repairs changed her situation: “It will help fix some of the issues with my vehicle and make it safer to drive. I will have independence again.”
Since its founding in 2014, Women Helping Women has distributed more than $150,000 to over 500 women and their families.

The Bells of the Balkans, Pittsburg Community Bell Choir, will present a concert entitled "The Life of Jesus in Scripture and Song". The concert will take place in the Pittsburg Presbyterian Church sanctuary on Sunday, April 12, at 3:00 P.M. Admission is free with donations being gratefully accepted.

The Ozark Festival Orchestra will conclude its 46th season of concerts in Monett at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 12, with the annual Marty Beckwith Memorial Pops Concert, held this year at the Monett High School Performing Arts Center.
This concert is sponsored by the children of long-time OFO cellist and founding member, Marty Beckwith.
Music director Carla Wootton takes us to the movies with a selection of cinematic music showpieces and a salute to the Armed Forces. For the first time, the OFO will play Trevor Jones’ music from the 1992 film “The Last of the Mohicans,” recreating dramatic moments including the “Elk Hunt,” “The Kiss,” and “Fort Battle.”
Keeping in that dramatic mood, the OFO will play musical highlights from “Rocky,” John Williams’ score to “Jurassic Park,” the theme from the “James Bond” films, the romance “Somewhere in Time,” and the rowdy overture to “The Magnificent Seven.”
Offering a favorite for audiences, the OFO will also play the “Armed Forces Salute,” drawn from themes from the US Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Air Force, and Navy. The orchestra will ask veterans from those organizations to rise and be recognized.
The OFO pops concert has traditionally been a benefit for the orchestra to help meet its annual expenses. This year the OFO will again offer a silent auction of pies in the lobby of the performing arts center, and a live auction of specialty pies during intermission. Eating is not allowed in the auditorium, so the winners will take home their prizes for later enjoyment.
Admission to the concert will be $10 for adults and free to children high school age and younger. Online tickets are available from www.ozarkfestivalorchestra.org.

The Suits are four dynamic gentlemen performing four genres of hit music from the '50s through the '80s: Motown, Doo Wop, Pop and Rock. Fusing smooth choreography and tight harmonies with exciting showmanship and fun audience interaction, this production will give you a night to remember!