A Visionary at the Heart of Downtown Kirksville
Main Street Kirksville Executive Director Laci Cook Feature Article
Laci Cook is front and center on the cover of the July August September 2026 issue of Kirksville Quarterly, the magazine of the Kirksville Daily Express.
There is a special kind of energy in a thriving downtown, the kind you can feel in the storefronts, on the sidewalks, and in the way, people choose to spend their time together. In Kirksville, that energy has a name, Laci Cook. As the part time executive director of Main Street Kirksville and the owner of SIP Downtown on the historic courthouse square, Laci does not just work downtown, she channels it.
Laci’s connection to downtown Kirksville began long before titles and board meetings. She often talks about walking the square as a kid, stopping at the old Books and Things bookstore and DeRosiers flower shop for ice cream and small treasures, memories that planted the seeds of a lifelong love for Main Street. Cook then stayed local to attend Truman State University and remains a dedicated Bulldog!
As a small business owner, she began attending meetings of what was then the Kirksville Downtown Improvement Committee. It was through her personal nostalgia that evolved into a clear sense of purpose the historic downtown. She understood that the success of every shop, cafe, and gallery is tied to the vitality of the entire district.
When Laci stepped into the executive director role in May 2025, she inherited a strong foundation. Grassroots efforts date back to the nineteen eighties, and in 2019 the organization formally aligned with the National Main Street Association and the Missouri Main Street Connection. What Laci brought to that framework was speed, creativity, and a fresh collaborative vision for what downtown Kirksville could become.
Since she took on the role, Main Street Kirksville has seen a 425 percent increase in partnerships and record-breaking engagement on its Missouri Main Street Connection survey. The organization has modernized from the ground up, launching a new website, expanding its presence on social media, and streamlining financial and operational systems so that more energy can go into visible impact on the street.
This progress is earning attention across the state. In the 2026 Best of Rural Missouri Readers Choice Contest, Kirksville was voted first place in the Best Main Street or Downtown category. The magazine praised the district as anchored by its charming courthouse square, blending college town energy with small town charm, and offering nearly fifty places to eat, drink, and shop locally. At the same time, the Kirksville Area Chamber of Commerce named Main Street Kirksville 2026 Nonprofit of the Year, just one year after it honored Laci as Entrepreneur of the Year for her work at SIP Downtown.
A Vision for Beauty and Business
For Laci, recognition is not the finish line. It is the fuel for what comes next. Her focus for 2026 is clear, beautification. Drawing on the well-known line from the film Field of Dreams, if you build it, they will come, Laci is pushing for a downtown where restored storefronts, thoughtful design, and vibrant color invite people to linger, explore, and invest.
Under her direction, Main Street Kirksville manages an ambitious portfolio of public art and landscape projects, from carefully arranged flowerpots and artistic window paintings to a major mural that will reshape a key downtown wall. The organization’s work stretches for several blocks in all directions from the courthouse square and is supported by generous sponsors that include local financial institutions and businesses. One of the most visible examples is a new grant of fifteen thousand dollars from AARP for a large public mural, a project first initiated by past president Ryan Ratliff and secured during Laci’s current leadership. Design and structural work are expected to begin by mid-summer, and the finished mural will be a permanent and sophisticated addition to Kirksville’s visual landscape.
Events that Bring Downtown to Life
Laci’s impact is just as strong on the calendar as it is on the streetscape. Main Street Kirksville has built a year-round lineup of events that bring people downtown and support local businesses. The Whiskey and Turkey Festival, held each September the first Saturday after Labor Day, is now a signature event that closes streets for food trucks, live music, games, and family friendly entertainment that celebrates the founding story of Kirksville. According to modern data from Placer AI, the festival draws around six thousand people to the downtown square, giving local merchants unmatched visibility. This year, Laci also secured a grant from Missouri Humanities to support the festival, helping Main Street Kirksville deepen the storytelling, history, and cultural programming that make the event so special.
Spring and summer bring programs such as Downtown Live, sidewalk sales, and participation in the Red White and Blue Parade. This year, Main Street Kirksville is added a new Red White and Barbecue event in early July, with food from the Wooden Nickel, music through the Kirksville Arts Association Summer on the Square series, and a community pie and ice cream social benefiting United Way. When the seasons change, the focus turns to KV Winter Lights, a committee within Main Street Kirksville that plans and maintains the elaborate holiday lighting display on the courthouse square, including lighted gift packages, decorated trees, and canopy lights that set the scene for carriage rides, Shop Small Saturday, and the annual Merry Market.
A Community that Rows Together
To make this many events possible, Laci has led with a philosophy of strong collaboration across organizations. She often explains that while Kirksville has many different groups, they are most successful when they move together like cars on a Ferris wheel rather than spinning off in separate directions. In her early days she joked that things could feel more like a Tilt A Whirl, with everybody moving on their own. Through better communication and shared planning, that is changing. Local nonprofits, businesses, arts groups, and civic partners are increasingly working in sync to make every event larger and more meaningful for the community.
This collaborative momentum is helping to position Kirksville as a regional destination, especially during university family weekends, athletic events, and tourism promotions. Through grant administration, press outreach, educational programming, and a detailed local business database, Main Street Kirksville makes sure that the excitement on the sidewalks translates into long term commercial strength for downtown.
Former Main Street Kirksville Board President Ryan Ratliff has worked with many organizations through years of service in nonprofit leadership, and he sees something special in Laci’s approach. Speaking about her work, he offers this reflection:
“In all my years of serving on nonprofit boards, I have never worked with an executive director as talented and collaborative as Laci Cook. She brings vision, follow through, and a genuine love for people to everything she touches. Downtown Kirksville is a stronger and more vibrant place because of her leadership, and the Kirksville community is incredibly fortunate to have her guiding Main Street Kirksville.”
As the historic downtown district looks toward a future defined by public art, economic growth, and growing community pride, Laci continues to lead with the precision of an executive and the soul of an artist. In her eyes, the bricks and mortar of downtown Kirksville are not just remnants of the past, they are the foundation for an inspired and brilliant future.
You can read more about Cook and her amazing leadership in the July August September 2026 issue of Kirksville Quarterly, published by the Kirksville Daily Express. Printed copies of this issue of Kirksville Quarterly are available at the Main Street Kirksville office, the Kirksville Area Chamber of Commerce and tourism office, and at SIP Downtown while supplies last.
Become a Partner
