There is a lot going on in St Joe this weekend. The main event is the city’s annual rite of spring, the Apple Blossom Parade.

The Apple Blossom Festival includes a Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned barbecue contest, live music and other activities. The parade starts Saturday at 9:30am at Frederick and Noyes and heads downtown from there.

Discover Downtown will feature a lot of local artists and vendors all over downtown St Joseph. There will live music and an international ethnic food festival at the Coleman Hawkins Park.

A lot of businesses will also offer live music, kids activities and buskers, all free of charge. Pop-up businesses will occupy vacant storefronts along Felix Street.

The YWCA’s annual Gardener’s Festival is tomorrow in downtown St Joe. You can get early admission this afternoon by purchasing a gift certificate of $25 or more to use at the festival. The YWCA, at 304 North Eighth St, will be filled with annuals, perennials, hanging baskets and more.

Experienced gardeners will be on hand to offer advice and tell you about the newest varieties. It’s also an opportunity to buy flowers for mom just one week before Mother’s Day. Flower sales start at 8am Saturday and continue until the plants are gone (usually late afternoon). Get early admission Friday afternoon/evening before the festival opens to the public by purchasing a gift certificate of $25 or more to use at the festival.

In White Cloud, Kansas, the annual flea market is Friday, Saturday and Sunday, featuring antiquers and food vendors. This event has been named one of the 10 Best Flea Markets in the country by McCalls Magazine.