With this year’s Joplin Christmas parade, organizers will create a "Winter Wonderland" in downtown Joplin. Officials unveiled the 54th annual Joplin Christmas parade theme Wednesday at Joplin City Hall. They said it’s a way to start the Christmas season in a magical fashion.
“When we think about Christmas, and we think about all that season embraces, 'Winter Wonderland' seems to be a natural fit,” said Joplin Mayor Keenan Cortez. “We all hope for that white Christmas and those times when families are gathered together, doing all the things that invoke the Christmas season.” The annual Christmas parade will take place at 6 p.
m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, in downtown Joplin.
Freeman Health System has produced the Joplin Christmas parade for the past 10 years. Paula Baker, Freeman Health System president and CEO, noted that while it wasn’t even Halloween yet, Freeman volunteers are busy preparing for the parade. “We are so honored and thankful that the city of Joplin entrusts us with this very important job.
It’s a big project, a fun one, but a big one,” Baker said. “It takes hundreds of volunteer hours and many, many dedicated hearts to pull an event of this magnitude off.” Each year, an organization is chosen to receive proceeds from the parade.
This year, the proceeds will go to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The organization helps families with children who have medical issues with things such as transportation, purchasing specialized medical equip.