Renovation underway on Sikeston Rodeo Museum and Visitors Center

SIKESTON, Mo. (KBSI) – Over nearly the last 100 years, the building at 215 N. New Madrid St. has housed a post office, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, and other things. But in just a matter of months, it will be the brand new Sikeston Rodeo Museum and Visitors Center. 

The renovation work on this building has begun, and Sikeston Regional Chamber President and CEO Marcie Lawson is ecstatic that this project is officially off and running. 

“This started with an idea, a way that we could save a historic building and celebrate 70 years of rodeo history, so it’s really exciting that we’re finally here,” she said.

The renovations have been made possible through a grant of $484,138 from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. 

Lawson said this project is a testament to the collaboration and cohesion among the members of the Sikeston community. 

“I really think it speaks to the collaborative effort going on in Sikeston right now,” she said. “It’s how we’re getting a lot of things done, and it’s just a really great place for us to have our own identity in addition to a rodeo museum.” 

Regional chamber executive vice president Kathy Medley echoed the same sentiment.

“It’s just going to be an asset for the whole downtown, for the whole community,” she said. “It will also bring visitors in. That was one of our goals, was to bring new people into the town.” 

Lawson, a Sikeston native herself, shared what having this attraction so close to home means to her. 

“It’s where I work, it’s where I live, it’s where it’s raising my family,” she said. “I am so excited that we are going to bring rodeo history and an asset to our downtown that everyone in Sikeston can enjoy, anyone who’s coming to Sikeston, all of my friends, family, everyone here is going to love it.” 

While Medley said having these renovations done by this year’s rodeo may be a bit ambitious, she does anticipate them being finished by the end of 2024.