All Invited to Fall Festival Kickoff Event Oct. 15  – West Plains

WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Celebrate the fall season and the opening of Missouri State University-West Plains’ amphitheater by joining the campus community for its Fall Festival Kickoff event Tuesday, Oct. 15.

This free event featuring food, music and activities for all ages will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the new amphitheater, 150 Franklin Ave., just west of the Smith-London Centennial Bell Tower.

“The amphitheater is an exciting addition to our campus and the community,” Chancellor Shirley Lawler said. “We have already made good use of the outdoor space with a faculty and staff gathering, a student organization event and a Grizzly tailgate party.

“The fall festival at the amphitheater will be a great opportunity to enjoy the fall season and experience this new outdoor venue first hand,” she added.

The festival will open at 5 p.m. with musical entertainment by the award-winning West Plains High School Zizzer Pride Band. Under the direction of Rocky Long and Melody Alford, the group performs over 50 times each school year for parades, band festivals, athletic events, concerts and other community-related events. The band will play a few of their favorite musical renditions at the festival.   

At 5:45 p.m., Patient Eyes will take the stage. Formed in the summer of 2018, this genre-bending alternative rock band from Mtn. Home, Arkansas, draws its influences from both folk/Americana music and rock/hard-core music. The band delivers passionate vocals and lyrical depth paired with eclectic driving instrumentals, according to the group’s website, patienteyesmusic.com.

Patient Eyes released its debut self-titled EP in winter 2018, hitting the ground with a truly unique style of music that could only be derived from raw emotional composition, according to band officials.

Throughout the evening, younger children can enjoy such games as pumpkin bowling, ring toss and face painting. Their older counterparts from high school and college can take part in pumpkin painting, corn hole and a three-legged race.

Food trucks from Bootleggers BBQ, Annie’s Hot Dog Cart, Kiko’s Hibachi and Sushi, 10/40 Coffee, Hillbilly Kettle Corn and Uncle Charlie’s Deep Fried Sweets will be on hand to serve hungry visitors.

“The amphitheater is available for use by the community, so we hope you will attend the fall festival and get a feel for the types of activities your group or organization might want to have at the amphitheater in future,” Lawler said.

For more information about the event, call the Missouri State-West Plains development office at 417-255-7240.

Missouri State University-West Plains empowers students to achieve personal success and to enrich their local and global communities by providing accessible, affordable and quality educational opportunities. Missouri State-West Plains offers associate degrees and credit and non-credit courses, and serves as a delivery site for bachelor’s and master’s degrees offered by Missouri State University in Springfield.