WTF 2026 Success!

More Than 7,000 Celebrate at the 2026 Kirksville Whiskey & Turkey Festival

2026 Kirksville Whiskey & Turkey Festival 9-12-2026 Festival Fun

Downtown Kirksville was alive on Saturday night, 9/12/2026, as more than 7,000 people gathered for the 2026 Whiskey & Turkey Festival—an unforgettable celebration of community, local heritage, great food, whiskey, music, and the people who make our downtown extraordinary. The weather was perfect, the crowd was energized, the iBerry’s kept the music going, RedOx Distillery & West Bottoms Whiskey Co. poured some fun, and the Downtown Square was filled with friends, families, visitors, volunteers, vendors, and local businesses coming together for one incredible night.

Main Street Kirksville is still catching its breath—and feeling enormously grateful.

Supporting Downtown All Year

The Whiskey & Turkey Festival is Main Street Kirksville’s signature annual fundraiser. Proceeds from the event directly support Main Street Kirksville’s year-round work to strengthen, promote, and preserve Downtown Kirksville.

That work includes organizing community events and seasonal promotions; supporting and marketing downtown businesses; encouraging investment, entrepreneurship, and revitalization; improving the downtown experience for residents and visitors; advancing beautification and preservation efforts; engaging volunteers; and creating opportunities for the community to gather in the heart of Kirksville. The success of the festival helps Main Street Kirksville continue its mission of making downtown a vibrant place to shop, dine, work, live, invest, and be entertained.

A Celebration of Kirksville’s Story

The Whiskey & Turkey Festival is built around a piece of Kirksville lore: the story that Jesse Kirk welcomed surveyors with whiskey and turkey in exchange for naming the new community after him. Whether retold around a table, explored through local history, or celebrated on the Square each September, the tale has become part of Kirksville’s identity.

Today, the festival brings that story to life in a way that is uniquely Kirksville. It combines whiskey tastings for guests 21 and over, turkey legs and festival food, live music, raffle opportunities, bingo, cornhole, downtown promotions, local businesses, and activities for all ages. More importantly, it gives thousands of people a reason to spend an evening downtown—supporting the businesses, organizations, makers, and neighbors that make this community special.

“Saturday night was everything we hope Whiskey & Turkey can be: a joyful gathering of our community, a celebration of downtown, and a reminder of how much can happen when people come together,” said Laci Cook, Executive Director of Main Street Kirksville and owner of Sip Downtown. “Seeing more than 7,000 people enjoying Kirksville, supporting local businesses, and making memories with friends and family was truly incredible. We are so grateful to every person who helped make this festival possible.”

Thank You, Sponsors

Main Street Kirksville extends its deepest appreciation to the sponsors and partners whose generosity made the 2026 Whiskey & Turkey Festival possible. We are especially grateful to Sharon Swehla, City of Kirksville Tourism, the festival’s Presenting Partner, and to Missouri Humanities, whose support helped bring the history and cultural heritage of Jesse Kirk and Downtown Kirksville to life. We also thank our Platinum Sponsors, Hawkins-Harrison Insurance and Breakthru Beverage Group; our Gold+ Sponsor, Jason Munn, Shelter Insurance; and our Gold Sponsors, Ameren Missouri, Bonzai, DuKum Inn, Elizabeth Gregory, eXp Realty, Equity Bank, Highway 63 Insurance, Mark Twain Behavioral Health, Maxwell’s Bar & Grill, Missouri Health & Wellness, Outback Welding, Playle-Rimer-Millard Family Funeral Chapel, Sparklight and Vivid Expressions. We are equally appreciative of our Silver Sponsors—Alliant Bank, Century 21, Mid-Mo Pumping, Nightshade Tattoo & Body Piercing, and Wooden Nickel—Our Bronze Sponsors: Dave England, Heritage House, Lloyd Distributing, Midwest Gold & Silver, Nolia Jeans, and Venezia as well as community and in-kind partners Carter’s Trailers Sales, which provided the live-band stage; Hy-Vee, which provided the ice and water, Eaglestaff Accounting, which provided accounting services; and the Baymont Hotel and Hampton Inn, which provided lodging for the performing artists. Every sponsor, donor, and partner played an essential role in creating an outstanding night for more than 7,000 festival goers and supporting Main Street Kirksville’s ongoing downtown revitalization work.

Special Thanks & Shoutout

A festival of this size does not happen without a remarkable group of people working behind the scenes before, during, and after the event.

Main Street Kirksville offers special thanks to:

Laci Cook, Executive Director, for her leadership, dedication, and tireless work in bringing the festival together.
Ryan Ratliff, who served as Festival Chair for the second consecutive year, for his leadership, planning, and countless hours of work helping bring the 2026 Whiskey & Turkey Festival to life.
Drew Rentchsler, for manning the beer tent and keeping one of the festival’s busiest operations moving throughout the night.
Sharon Prichard, consummate volunteer, supporter and Kirksville stalwart who gives her time and support without hesitation.
Dave England, for his dedication and hands-on work securing sponsors and promoting the festival.
Craig Shorten, Chade Shorten and the DuKum Inn, for donating your equipment, time and experience in making the festival bigger and better each year.
Kirk Ranson, for securing stages and power that brought the event to life.
Jason Munn and Tonya Munn, Main Street Kirksville Partners, koozie sponsors and volunteers.
Krystal Morris and Vivid Expressions, for producing the festival koozies and volunteering.
Winston Vanderhooven and Breakthru Beverage Group, for sponsoring the koozies and helping make the whiskey tasting experience possible.
City of Kirksville Tourism and Missouri Humanities, for their partnership and investment in the event, the downtown, and Kirksville’s heritage.

Our volunteers, who took on everything from setup and guest check-in to hospitality, vendor support, cleanup, and countless tasks in between.
Our downtown businesses, local partners, visiting distilleries, beverage partners, food vendors, entertainers, community organizations, and activity partners—including Rotary Bingo—for helping create an evening with something for everyone.

Thank you, 2026 WTF Volunteers!

Main Street Kirksville extends its heartfelt thanks to the incredible volunteers who gave their time, energy, and enthusiasm to make the 2026 Whiskey & Turkey Festival such an outstanding success: Cam Benson, Kenny Barnard, Lee Cashatt, Sayri Colindres, Sydnee Gann, Anna Gooch, Ethan Gooch, Eric Grgurich, Tara Grgurich, Allison Hampson, Amelia Harris, Sarah Hsiao, Meagan Kitko, Gylian Von Kloha, Sophia McClure, Vivian McFadden, Michael Chrisman, Kaelyn Mickels, Nate Morris, Angely Pacheco, Stacie Riley, Amanda Selby, Caleb Shoush, Justin Tallman, Nicole Tallcott, Dustin Thompson, and Elowyn Wells. From early setup and guest check-in to the north and south tents, beer-tent operations, hospitality, behind-the-scenes support, and late-night cleanup, each of you played an essential role in welcoming more than 7,000 people to Downtown Kirksville. Thank you for showing up for your community and helping make Whiskey & Turkey 2026 a night to remember.

Thank you, Kirksville!

To everyone who attended, volunteered, purchased a wristband, sponsored the festival, shared a post, brought a friend, supported a downtown business, visited a vendor, or simply came downtown to enjoy the evening: thank you.

You made the 2026 Whiskey & Turkey Festival an extraordinary celebration of Kirksville’s past, present, and future. Your enthusiasm, generosity, and community spirit are what make Downtown Kirksville thrive.

Photographs: Ryan Halstead, Halstead Photography, Austin Miller, City of Kirksville.