Ann Leach

Carl Junction teachers and friends Liesl Barcus and Kara Mello support each other as running partners, finding motivation, accountability, and improved mental and physical health through their shared commitment to regular runs and training for races.

Barbara Hicklin, a representational painter in Joplin, continually hones her watercolor and oil painting skills through lessons, teaching, and collaboration, drawing inspiration from nature and believing that artistic talent is nurtured through persistent practice.

After a chronic cystic fibrosis diagnosis and major surgery, runner Terra Oxendine used movement, faith, and determination to aid her recovery, now maintaining her health through regular exercise, nutrition, and a positive mindset.

As part of Joplin’s 150th anniversary, the city will celebrate its official flower with a self-guided iris garden tour on May 13, featuring maps, treats, and commemorative cookie cutters, highlighting the iris’s history and significance to the community.

Connect2Culture’s summer concerts at Joplin’s Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex feature local indie rock band Me Like Bees and Grammy-winning folk duo The Okee Dokee Brothers, offering outdoor performances that celebrate music, community, and nature.

Joplin artist Josh Okerson, inspired and mentored by 90-year-old Michael F. Wright, turned to painting as a way to cope with personal setbacks and now pursues his art passionately, drawing on emotion and encouragement to fuel his creative journey.

Dora Eastin, once a reluctant marathoner, now runs as a way to cope with life’s challenges, setting ambitious goals—including qualifying for the Olympic trials—and credits her progress to perseverance, mindset, and the support of her coach and community.

Joplin's Celebrations Commission has planned a year-long sesquicentennial celebration featuring baseball at Joe Becker Stadium, ragtime music tributes to native son Percy Wenrich, a film festival, and educational events highlighting the city's 150-year history of perseverance and growth.

Jane McCaulley, a former elementary art teacher who discovered fused glass artistry 20 years ago, now creates and sells her glass art at local galleries and teaches her techniques while working from her Missouri home studio.