Ted and I spent a night in Mitchell, SD, so visiting the kitschy Corn Palace was a given. What luck! We were in time for the city celebration of the newly redecorated Corn Palace.
I didn’t know what to expect, but I found out the Corn Palace is a venue for concerts and other community events. Every year, the Corn Palace is redecorated with a different theme, using yellow, red, blue, calico, and other colors of corn, plus bundles of oats, flax, and sour dockweed, all held together with over 200,000 nails. Previous decoration themes included South Dakota industries, Indian ceremonies and games, the Space Age, and Mother Goose rhymes. This year’s theme is rock and roll legends.
The Corn Palace facade.
A close-up of Willie Nelson to show the decorating detail.
A partial view of the decorated south side of the Corn Palace.
The King made the Corn Palace!
Corn cob-themed pillars in the lobby.
Huey Lewis was playing a concert in the Corn Palace. Huey is original, but the “News-boys” are younger replacements. The sound was still good.
Main Street in front of the Corn Palace hosted a five-day street festival to celebrate the new Palace decorations.