It will be a celebration of music, school spirit, community pride and “Decades of Southern Sprit” when Missouri Southern State University hosts the Homecoming 2021 parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, in downtown Joplin.
Entries – including bands and floats – are currently being sought for the event. The parade route will begin at Sixth and Main streets and continue north before turning west on Third Street and then south along Joplin Avenue.
Prizes of $1,000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third will be offered in the following categories:
- Large high-school bands (schools with 1,000 students or more)
- Medium high-school bands (between 500 and 999 students)
- Small high-school bands (under 500 students)
- MSSU student organizations
- Community organizations
- High-school student organizations or athletic teams
All floats must be decorated in a way that supports the Homecoming theme, “Decades of Southern Spirit.” Entries should be lined up by 9:30 a.m. Award winners will be announced at halftime during the football game, which will begin at 2 p.m. at Fred Hughes Stadium.
The deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 17. To sign up, visit www.mssu.edu/parade2021.