☕️ Santa will be rolling into Joplin in shorts

Good Morning, Joplin. There’s a very real chance you’ll be opening presents this Christmas in short sleeves. The forecast is calling for 70+ degrees on the 25th, which feels both delightful and deeply confusing.

Remember, we won’t be back in your inbox until next Tuesday! There will be no JOMO Jive this Friday.

In today’s JOMO Jive:

• Contour by Joplin ENT grand opening

• Storyteller Songwrights Collective

• City closures & trash schedule changes

Let’s get to it.

— Matt Thompson

P.S. If you find something useful in today’s Jive, please share it with someone who makes delicious food for Christmas that you’re very much looking forward to eating.

Poll of the Day

Featured Event

🎨 A Night at the Gallery: A New Years Eve Experience

Saturday, Dec. 27 | 7:00–9:30 PM | Cornell Complex
🎟️ Adults 21+ | Includes 2 complimentary drinks (alcoholic or not)

Ring in the New Year early with a festive night of art, creativity, and connection at Spiva! This all-access celebration transforms every floor of the Cornell Complex into an interactive playground—featuring:

✨ Clay minis with Mars Dunn
✨ DIY waterless snow globes with Heather Lesmeister
✨ Handbound intention journals with Des Hernandez
✨ Friendship bracelets & more with Jade Henning-Cantrell

Perfect for couples, friends, or creative souls. Want to gift it? Physical certificates available on request.

✨ Contour by Joplin ENT Opens, Invites Community to Celebrate

A new wellness-focused extension of a trusted local medical practice is officially opening its doors in Joplin. Contour by Joplin ENT brings a patient-centered, compassionate approach to aesthetic and wellness services, backed by the clinical expertise of the Joplin ENT team. Known for providing comprehensive ENT care for patients of all ages, Joplin ENT emphasizes careful evaluation, attention to detail, and genuine concern—values that now extend into this new Contour location.

Contour by Joplin ENT is designed to be a welcoming space where medical professionalism meets comfort and self-care. With a focus on thoughtful, individualized treatment, the new practice reflects Joplin ENT’s longstanding commitment to serving the community with integrity, trust, and expertise.

To celebrate the opening, the public is invited to a Grand Opening event on Saturday, December 27 at 11:00 AM at 1920 E. 32nd Street. The event will feature dirty sodas from Pop It Like It’s Hot, chair massages by Blessed Wellness, a bouquet bar with Blooms by Diem, along with food, giveaways, and more. It’s a relaxed, come-and-go celebration and a chance to see the new space, meet the team, and enjoy a little local flair while welcoming Contour by Joplin ENT to the neighborhood.

🎶 Storyteller Songwrights Collective Launches in Joplin

Storyteller Songwrights is a new creative collective built around original music, honest storytelling, and live connection—placing just as much emphasis on the stories behind the songs as the songs themselves. What began as a single event, Storytellers Showcase, has already grown into regular Storyteller Showcases and Spotlights, featuring dozens of local and regional songwriters in intimate, live-stage settings. The long-term vision includes songwriter networking events, workshops, collaborative sessions, and resources designed to support artists at every stage of the creative process.

The collective will debut its first-ever Storyteller Sessions on Friday, December 27, in partnership with Joplin Improv at Joplin Avenue Coffee Company. The night will feature songwriters Trevor C. Smith and Caleb Miller (Vagabond Grove) sharing original songs and the stories behind them ahead of the improv performance. The bar opens at 6:00 PM, with performances immediately following. For updates and future events, follow Storyteller Songwrights on their website or on Facebook.

🎷 Annie and the Fur Trappers Live at Minnie Hackney

Monday, December 29 | 6:00–9:00 PM | Minnie Hackney Community Service Center

Close out the year with a night of vintage jazz, swing, and blues as Annie and the Fur Trappers bring their lively, throwback sound to the Minnie Hackney Community Service Center at 110 S. Main Street. Known for their engaging stage presence and classic style, the band promises an upbeat, toe-tapping evening that’s perfect for music lovers and date-night crowds alike. Tickets are $12.50 in advance or $15 at the door, with food, drinks, a 50/50 raffle, and band merch available—plus proceeds supporting Minnie Hackney’s ongoing arts and community programs.

🎨 Impressions and Exposures: The Hand Magazine Exhibit

Now through December 31 | Sharon & Lance Beshore Gallery

Catch this exhibit before it closes at the end of the year. Impressions and Exposures features work curated by The Hand Magazine, an international print and photography publication founded in 2013 and based in Prairie Village, Kansas. The exhibition invites visitors to slow down and reflect on the craft of artmaking—and how artists continue to express individuality in an era shaped by AI, digital tools, and mass media.

The show highlights innovative approaches to print- and photo-based media and celebrates the importance of experiencing art in person. Award winners include Lily Yù Jié (1st Place, Sacred Heart), Luke B. Townsend (2nd Place), William Hays (3rd Place), and Emmalee Rathsam, who earned the People’s Choice Award.

🎄 Holiday Closures & Trash Schedule Changes

City of Joplin offices will be closed on Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day) and Thursday, January 1 (New Year’s Day). The closures include Public Transit, the Recycling Center, and the Joplin History & Mineral Museum. City Hall and most services will reopen at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, December 26, and Friday, January 2.

The Joplin History & Mineral Museum will be open Friday, December 26, but closed Saturday, December 27. It will operate normally through January 31, then close for the month of January for remodeling and exhibit updates. Police, Fire, the Joplin Regional Airport, and the Wastewater Division will continue operating as usual.

🚛 Trash & Recycling Changes:
Residential trash and curbside recycling normally picked up on Thursday or Friday will shift back one day, with Saturday used for Friday routes. Monday–Wednesday customers will not be affected. Questions about trash service can be directed to Republic Services at 1-800-431-1507.

📺 City Council Note:
The January 5, 2026 City Council meeting will air live on KGCS-TV, with the replay moving to Wednesday, January 7 due to MSSU basketball coverage on January 6.

Tuesday: 🌡️ 57 | 70 ⛅️ 

Wednesday: 🌡️ 58 | 70 💨 

🎄 Thursday: 🌡️ 59 | 73 ⛅️

Recap:

🏀 Men’s Basketball (7-5)
Friday 12/19 at Southwest Baptist University | L 79-71
Sunday 12/21 at Northeastern State University | L 119-117 OT

🏀 Women’s Basketball (9-3)
Sunday 12/21 at Northeastern State University | W 60-55

Upcoming:

🏀 Men’s Basketball (7-5)
Saturday 1/3 at #20 University of Arkansas Fort Smith | 3:00 PM

🏀 Women’s Basketball (9-3)
Saturday 1/3 at University of Arkansas Fort Smith | 1:00 PM

🛒 Holiday Table Market (Neosho): A special Neosho Farmers Market event offering pre-ordered and grab-and-go local foods, baked goods, meats, and holiday table favorites for Christmas dinner. Shop farm-fresh, scratch-made items in Historic Downtown Neosho and dress your holiday table with all things local. It’s an easy, delicious way to support area farmers and makers while finishing your holiday meal prep in one stop.

🎄 Tinsel & Tidings Christmas Eve Market: A special holiday shopping event at Joplin Empire Market featuring a curated selection of vendors offering fresh foods and last-minute local, handmade gifts. It’s a perfect stop for stocking up before Christmas and showing visiting family one of Joplin’s favorite community spaces. Vagabond Grove will be playing from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM.

🎸 Lemonade Crush at Blackthorn Pizza & Pub: A late-night live music show at Blackthorn featuring Lemonade Crush bringing the energy starting at 10:00 PM. This free, 21+ show is a great way to cap off the night in downtown Joplin.

🎧 Silent Saturday: Joplin’s only silent disco where partygoers dance with wireless headphones and switch between three live DJs spinning different vibes. Enjoy great music, high energy, and drinks all night for a one-of-a-kind downtown party experience.

😂 Joplin Improv: Yule Be Laughing: A fast-paced, holiday-themed improv show packed with audience suggestions, festive shenanigans, and big laughs at Joplin Avenue Coffee Company. With PG-13 humor and totally made-up-on-the-spot comedy, it’s a merry night out for anyone who loves live laughs.

🧘 Art + Wellness: Open Late with Free Crafts: A free, drop-in evening at Spiva inviting teens and adults to slow down, reflect, and create through low-pressure art activities. With hands-on projects, the Hand Magazine exhibit open late, and a focus on New Year intention-setting, it’s a gentle creative reset to close out the year.

We’d love to hear your feedback! Reply to this newsletter or take the poll to let us know how we’re doing!