Thursday, July 12 – We are in Mitchell, SD, at the R & R Campground. It's a great over-night stop, especially when the temperatures are in the 90's. Full hook-ups, 50 amp electric, gravel and some concrete sites, gravel streets, swimming pool (shared with the motel), shade trees, and picnic table all for $17+ tax. The Hostess was very nice. She greeted us with two ice cold bottles of water. Great!
Site 306
Looking right.
Looking left.
We stopped in Mitchell, SD, to see the famous Corn Palace. A unique American folk art icon dedicated to the hard working farmers in this area.
Originally built in 1892, early settlers displayed their agricultural bounty on the building's exterior to prove the fertility of the soil and to attract immigrant farmers to settle here. Since then, each fall a festival is planned to celebrate agriculture and the productivity of the people.
Saluting Youth Activities
Each year, a new decorating theme is chosen and the outside of the Corn Palace is stripped and redecorated with new corn and grains. Over the summer, 3,000 bushels of rye, oats and sour dock are tied in bundles and attached to the building. When the corn crop is ready, roughly 275,000 ears of corn are sawed in half lengthwise and nailed to the building following patterns created by local artists.
All summer long, you can watch this unique redecorating process being completed. While we were here, college age boys were up on the scaffold nailing straw bundles to the front of the building. The entire front is covered and murals run the entire length of the building. It's a pretty amazing sight.
Trimming the decorations.
The Corn Palace serves as a multi-use center for the community and region. Inside the Corn Palace is a store that sells just about everything with a “corn" theme. Of course there's popcorn balls, flavored popcorn, salt & pepper shakers, corn on the cob, t-shirts, and more, all available at the Corn-cessions Stand.
Recognize these guys?
The Palace is lighted at night for another unique experience. We went back around dark. It looked nice all lit up. Downtown Mitchell, SD, like many small towns, seems to be desolate with the Palace showing one of the few signs of life. But we felt comfortable walking around the area, took some pictures, and headed home.
This one is to show our girls how much fun we are having…Oh Brother!
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!
hope you don't get any corn stuck in your teeth!!
ReplyDeleteYou two certainly look corny at the worlds largest bird feeder. How's that for giving you two an ear full?
ReplyDeleteWe couldn't stretch our vacation time in order to visit the Corn Palace. I've seen pictures of it, but I enjoyed reading the details that you wrote.
ReplyDeletePaved sites? What are those?? ;) We have had nothing but gravel sites this whole trip. We don't see much gravel in our part of the country!
Now that's what I call a corny photo!
ReplyDeleteI've wondered how they get all that stuff up there on that building...thanks for the explanation.
I've head about the Corn Palace but that's about it. I can't imagine redecorating it every year.I think your little corn cob photo is pretty corny too.
ReplyDeleteThat sure was a corny place...we enjoyed our visit there, too. Loved seeing this year's decorations.
ReplyDeleteSorry I have nothing corny to write.. Everbody beat me to it.
ReplyDeleteWent there years ago, isn't it amazing what you can do with grain!
ReplyDeleteI loved the corn palace, as "hokey" as it is. How cool you got to see it being decorated!
ReplyDeletevery corny place...love it..and hope to see it someday...
ReplyDeleteI always thought you and Paul were a couple of 'Corn Dogs', now I have the picture to prove it.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone who has ever been to Mitchell, we visited the Corn Palace. I guess that's why all the work in restoring it each year is worth it for the locals.
Nice pin-up picture! Seems like a fun experience.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun...you got to see them decorating it! The year we saw it, they weren't re-decorating because there was a shortage of materials!
ReplyDeleteBeen to the Corn Palace many times as I grew up in Nebraska and my dad grew up near Huron, SD so went by there many time visiting my aunts & uncles over the years. Always looks different every time we see it as they change every year.
ReplyDeleteThat is such an interesting place. We have been there many times.
ReplyDeleteOh goodness. . .the Corn Palace is rather corny isn't it. . .LOL!
ReplyDeleteYou guys are doing your trip opposite of ours. . .we were on our way to Yellowstone. . .love seeing all the pics and reliving the memories!
Janice
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