Maple Leaf Festival Carthage: Top Events & Travel Tips

 

 If you’re craving crisp air, golden leaves, and small-town charm, Carthage, Missouri is calling. The 59th Annual Maple Leaf Festival is in full swing, and the crown jewel—the Maple Leaf Parade takes place Saturday, October 18th at 9:00 a.m. It’s the largest parade in Southwest Missouri, and it’s worth every early-morning minute.

What began in 1966 as a humble marching band competition has blossomed into a beloved fall tradition that draws over 80,000 visitors each year. Bands from across the region travel to Carthage to perform, bringing music, energy, and pride to the historic square. The nearly two-mile parade route winds through downtown, showcasing floats, dancers, classic cars, and community spirit in full color.

Whether you're a longtime local or a first-time visitor, the Maple Leaf Festival offers a week of celebration from quilt shows and chili cook-offs to dachshund races and concerts on the square. It’s more than an event it’s a legacy of joy, creativity, and connection.

🕘 When to Arrive

• Arrive by 7:00 a.m. to find good parking and a prime viewing spot.
• The parade kicks off at 9:00 a.m. sharp and lasts until around noon.
• Early birds can enjoy coffee and breakfast from local vendors on the Historic Square.

 Where to View

• The parade begins at 3rd & High Street, winds through the Historic Carthage Square, and ends at Carthage Jr. High School.
• Best viewing spots:
• Grand Avenue near the Square for maximum energy and vendor access.
• Chapel Road for a quieter, family-friendly vibe.
• Near the courthouse lawn for shaded seating and photo ops.

🚗 Where to Park

• Downtown lots fill quickly look for public parking near:
• Garrison Avenue
• Main Street
• Behind City Hall
• Overflow parking is available at Carthage Jr. High and Grace Episcopal Church.
• Be mindful of street closures and parade staging zones avoid 3rd Street and High Street after 7:30 a.m.

 What to Bring

• Folding chairs or picnic blankets
• A thermos of cider or cocoa
• Sunscreen and layers (October mornings can be brisk!)
• Cash for vendors and food trucks

 Why It Matters

The Maple Leaf Festival isn’t just a parade it’s a celebration of legacy, community, and the quiet beauty of fall. Whether you’re watching floats roll by or savoring a slice of maple pecan galette, your part of something timeless.

Porchfest in North Heights: Joplin’s Autumn Pulse

 

On October 4th, the historic North Heights district will come alive not just with music, but with memory, community, and the kind of porch-front joy that only Joplin can offer. Sponsored by Sparklight and supported by the Missouri Arts Council, Porchfest 2025 is more than a concert it’s a curated celebration of local voice.

From 60+ bands performing on porches and the Main Stage at E & Moffet, to a handmade-only craft and art show, the event pulses with authenticity. No MLMs. No mass production. Just real creators sharing their work, face to face.

 What to Expect:

• Artisan booths featuring handcrafted goods
• Food trucks with everything from loaded burgers to horchata
• Children’s activities including face painting, story time, and sensory-friendly zones
• Pet-friendly paths and accessible restrooms
• Live music across genres, all family-friendly

This isn’t just a festival it’s a neighborhood reclaiming its rhythm. The porches of North Heights become stages, the sidewalks become galleries, and the air carries the scent of autumn and street tacos.

As a voice-centered creator and longtime observer of Joplin’s seasonal patterns, I’ll be documenting the textures of the day from the laughter echoing off porch rails to the quiet pride in every handmade booth. If you see someone sketching a historic home or photographing a vintage doorknob, it might be me.

 Authorship Note:

This post is published under a pseudonym to protect privacy and creative independence. All images are original or ethically sourced.   

You can find more details on the official Porchfest site or through the City of Joplin

How to Host an Autumn Scavenger Hunt for Families

 Before the cold rolls in, fall gives us one last chance to gather, snack, and explore together.

Autumn  is more than just a change in weather it’s a shift in pace. The leaves turn, the air cools, and families find themselves craving connection before winter settles in. A scavenger hunt in the park is a simple way to honor that season with a: low-cost, high-joy, and rich with seasonal gathering

 

Here’s how to host a scavenger hunt that blends nature exploration with community care.

 

 Step 1: Choose Your Park & Set the Date

Pick a local park with walking trails, trees, and a picnic table or shelter. Mid-afternoon works best warm enough for comfort, cool enough for cocoa. Once you’ve set the date, start building your guest list. Five to ten families keep things manageable and meaningful.

 

 Step 2: Prep the Essentials

As host, you’ll provide: Paper plates, cups, napkins or paper towels. A tablecloth for the picnic table. Printed scavenger hunt flyers for each child

Encourage guests to bring:

One dozen cookies (pumpkin, oatmeal, or chocolate chip)

A large thermos of hot cocoa or cider

Bottled water (two cases total for the group)

Optional: a folding chair for comfort

This keeps the snack table simple, seasonal, and shared.

 Step 3: Build Your Scavenger Hunt List

Each child gets a checklist with items to collect or photograph. Keep it nature-based and age-friendly:

Scavenger Hunt Items:

A red leaf

An orange leaf

A smooth rock

A bird’s feather

A photo of a squirrel

A photo of a bird

An acorn

A photo of a spider web

Bonus Finds:

A leaf bigger than your hand

A mushroom (photo only!)

A tree with peeling bark

A bird’s nest (photo only)

You can laminate the lists or tuck them into clipboards for easy handling.

 

 Step 4: Snack & Share

After the hunt, gather at the picnic table to share snacks and stories. Kids can show off their finds, swap photos, and enjoy warm drinks while adults catch up. You might offer small prizes or printable certificates for participation nothing flashy, just a little extra joy. 

 Final Thoughts

This kind of gathering doesn’t need perfection. It needs presence. A few leaves, a few cookies, and a few families 

How to Enjoy the Autumn Season During a Pandemic / COVID19

Autumn is my favorite time of the year and it is safe to say that that I love all things that occur during the fall season. Normally my husband and I make plans to go to outdoor city arts and crafts festivals, and to travel to a scenic park to view the colorful leaves on the trees but this year we will only attend the festival if they are no big crowds.  

We will be going to the state parks to hike on the trails and take photographs of the autumn foliage and we also hope to tour a corn maze in Arkansas. This year we will be staying close to home and will be avoiding crowded autumn events.

Autumn activities will be different this year but if you make plans for the day trips to parks and other outdoor activities that do not attract crowds then you will be able to enjoy the season without the worry of COVID19.

Look for outdoor events where you can social distance and avoid indoor events and large crowds. You can still go to an arts and crafts festival as long as you plan to wear a mask and stay away from large gatherings. Instead of going to a big city autumn festival where there will be crowds look for a small-town event.

Another fun activity is going to a u-pick-it farm,   In my area we enjoy picking late-season apples and pears.

Take a day trip to a park that features fishing, boat rentals, hiking trails or horseback riding. All fun family activities to enjoy during the autumn season.

Plan a trip to a pumpkin patch to pick vine-ripe pumpkins for your fall decorations.

Just because your area may have COVID19 does not mean that you need to pass up the fall season. But it does mean that you should stay away from large gatherings and it is best to partake in outdoor activities.

Plan fun family activities to do at home

• Roasting marshmallows in the outdoor fire 
• Painting your kids face and dress them up in fall season costumes
• Enjoy nature by playing in the fallen leaves.
• Play autumn season games like bobbing for apples.
• Put up your camping tent in the backyard or at the park and sleep outdoors, listen for a distant owl, and watch for a shooting stars
• Decorate your home for the fall season and carve pumpkins for Halloween.
• Plan a fall foliage drive to a state park
• Make hot apple cider to enjoy while sitting by a bonfire
• Bake pumpkin cookies
• Plan a family hayride
• Bake pumpkin seeds, cookies and see other pumpkin recipes here

Whatever you do, be sure to enjoy the autumn season with your family.
*Images used in this article from pixabay.com
*View All Seasons decorating ideas and gifts at Pinterest here 

Harvesting Apples at U-Pick-It Farms

One of the benefits of living in the Midwest is being able to go to one of the many farms to pick your own apples at the end of the summer. We are fortunate that there are apple orchards close by where we can spend the afternoon harvesting apples from the trees. 

Normally our weather in late summer is hot during the day, so we always look at the upcoming weather forecast and try to choose a day that is cloudy or less hot.

A good way to find U-pick-it farms is to go to your local farmers market and ask another way is to watch your newspaper as there are sometimes ads. I recommend that you call the farm before you go. Find out if the apples are ready to be picked and if they prefer people coming on the weekdays or weekends. In the past, we drove an hour to a U-pick-it farm only to find out that they were out of apples.

Always dress properly for picking apples. I would recommend that you wear a comfortable long sleeve shirt and pants, hiking boots and socks are important and also a sun hat. Treat your clothing for an insect repellent that would include biting flies fleas and ticks.

Bring along bottled water and snacks. I like breakfast or protein bars, but if you are going to be out in the country you may want to bring along a fleece blanket for kids to use for an afternoon nap in the car or for putting down for a picnic lunch at the park or an open meadow.

Don’t forget your camera. Make happy memories with your family by spending the day in the country picking apples. These photos are great for scrapbooks and sharing on Facebook.

Pick enough apples for your favorite recipes for your family to enjoy throughout the fall season.

Here is a recipe for spiced apple chutney.

Autumn Activities at Joplin Nature Center

This year we are blessed with warm weather so I find that I am making plans to be outdoors on the weekend with family. In my hometown, there are many activities, including hayrides at the park, bonfires, and church bizarre. Those activities are always fun but this weekend we took to the nature trails at the Audubon Center just south of Joplin Missouri.

The nature center was built on land that is adjacent to Wildcat Park and Shoal creek. This is the perfect location for watching birds and wildlife in their natural habitat.

Today we visited the center first to see what they had on display and to pick up their brochure for upcoming winter events. My husband and I enjoy the night owl watch and also like to participate in other wildlife events held at the park.

We decided to have lunch before taking our walk since there were tables available under the pavilion. So we ate a picnic lunch of sandwiches from Panera and we both had coffee. Lunch was good but instead of rushing off to the trails we sat for an hour and enjoyed the beautiful day. You could not ask for a more beautiful day, the sun was shining, and the temperature was 72 degrees.

After lunch we took to the nature trails, we saw a few black-eyed Susan’s in the wildlife gardens, some butterflies, and gray squirrels. There were hawks circling above us but other than that no deer or other wildlife was in sight.

The trails were windy and at one point the tree's overhang was so thick that no light was coming through. The path turned dark and rather spooky. We quickened our pace and soon we were back in the sunlight.

There was a bench close to Shoal creek and we sat to take in the view. This section of the creek is where you could see the bluffs on the other side. We had heard stories of Indian markings on the bluffs and that there were caves in this area, but in order to get to the other side, one would need a boat so we will plan to do that on another day.

The nature trail at the Audubon center is very scenic and I believe it is 20 miles long. Needless to say, we did not walk the entire trial. Instead, we looked at the tree's leaves that were starting to turn. Many were orange, yellow, and a few dark red and we enjoyed the beautiful autumn day.

Favorite Autumn Activities

Today while organizing boxes in the attic I came across some photographs that I had taken last autumn and I got to thinking of my favorite season and wondered what activities we would participate in this year.

I do not need a calendar to tell me when the season of autumn has begun. Nature has a way of letting you know. When I look south toward the mountain ridge I can see that the leaves are starting to change. I may see that a few trees have red leaves and others have orange and golden leaves, while other trees have green leaves.

Here are some postcards that I made from my autumn photographs. All photos were captured when I was hiking in the Ozark Mountains parks.

Autumn Leaves in Missouri Postcard 

Autumn in Arkansas Photograph Postcard 
View more Fall leaves Postcards at zazzle.com

Magnificent silver maple tree, this photo postcard is my favorite.

Autumn Leaves Thanksgiving Postcard 
color postcard printing by zazzle.com

The fall season is my favorite time of the year. I enjoy the warm days and cool nights and also like the activities. There is something to do every weekend from late September through the first part of November.

One of the activities that my family and I enjoy is getting together with my brother to harvest the pears. We also like to go to the you pick it pumpkin orchards. We usually make it an all day event because when the harvesting is done everyone eats a bowl of homemade chili and then sit by a bonfire. The kids roast marshmallows and if there are leaves on the ground we will all participate in a leaf jump.

Another autumn activity that my family enjoys doing is touring the corn maze and then picking out our pumpkin at a local farm. We participate in neighborhood gatherings; annual Jack O lantern carving contest and go to country church bazaars and hometown festivals in Missouri.  

You bet I enjoyed looking at the autumn photographs today and reminiscing about all the activities. I am looking forward to this fall and wondering what we will be doing.

What are your favorite autumn activities?

Connecting with Nature in Autumn

The autumn or the fall season is when the weather is ideal for spending time outdoors. There may be sunny days with the temperature in the mid 70's so you can enjoy your time outdoors connecting with nature without feeling hot or cold.

Stroll down a nature trail in Autumn, Watch for wildlife. This is a good way to connect with nature

Now is a good time to make tentative plants for you and your family to take a road trip to a state park and spend the day outdoors. One of the things I like to do is go to the Audubon Nature Center, it is located in SW Missouri and it's not a bad drive.

Here is a postcard I designed from the photographs I took last autumn when visiting The Audubon nature center at Wildcat Park.

Joplin Missouri Shoal Creek Postcard by Susang6
Get Postcard designs on zazzle.com

We will leave early in the morning and get there in time for a picnic lunch. Then after lunch, we can walk on the nature trails, stop to watch the birds and the wildlife and also enjoy the white water rapids on Shoal Creek.

We always cease a warm sunny day in autumn because winter comes too soon.  Do you connect with nature during the autumn season?

Learn more about the Audubon nature center in SW Missouri here.