Tupelo's annual rites of spring, a weekend of organizationally separate but proximate events in the heart of downtown, provide a full bill of entertainment and enrichment today through Sunday.

The centerpiece is the GumTree Festival, an art show spreading out from court square, featuring the works of scores of artists, entertainment, food vendors and a juried awards element in many categories.

Tupelo Community Theatre's annual spring musical production opened Thursday night and runs through Saturday. This year's production is "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," a popular and enduring favorite from the 1970s. It is a completely musical retelling of the biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colors.

Created by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, who also brought the world "Jesus Christ, Superstar," "Joseph" has been performed thousands of times.

Get ticket information by calling (662) 844-1935.

GumTree Festival kicks off tonight with the traditional GumBall, a big party at Goodlett Manor on court square's west side. Ticket information is available at (662) 844-2787.

The festival show runs Saturday and Sunday, with full information about its entertainment at gumtreemuseum.com.

The third long-standing event is the Gum Tree 10K run, a race starting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday on Main Street and winding through Tupelo neighborhoods before concluding at the main entrance to Fair Park.

Proceeds from the race registrations and other fees benefit Habitat for Humanity. The Daily Journal earlier reported sign-ups are available online at tupelorunningclub.net and racesonline.com, or call coordinator Andy Hughes at (662) 844-8920 for more information.

GumTree Festival and Tupelo Community Theatre both have been part of Tupelo's celebratory civic life for more than 40 years, and the Gum Tree 10K is almost as venerable at 35 years.

All three organizations broke new ground for Tupelo when they were started by civic-minded people who saw a need for more diverse and enriching events open to everyone. The festival, theater and the 10k run flourished because the people who cared about them also cared about Tupelo's quality of life.

The community and the region quickly embraced all three, and what they offer has become an anticipated fixture of the spring calendar.

A list in "American Style" of the Top 25 Small Cities nationwide is comprised of cities (all larger than Tupelo) that bear similarities: Their rich festival and public events life reflect wide varieties of interests and tastes - and extraordinary voluntary involvement.

Volunteers are the backbone of making this weekend's Tupelo events run smoothly.

Join thousands of friends; enjoy all three.