Murdo doesn’t have a lock on what Earl is beginning to call the “tacky” part of our trip. We’ve spent almost three weeks looking at nature’s exhibits, and I loved every minute (except for the parts where we seemed to be hanging off a cliff on a narrow two lane road filled with hairpin curves).
But we probably won’t come this way again for a long time, if ever; so I want to make sure we see everything that’s ever made a guidebook. Which brings us to Mitchell, SD, and the Corn Palace, a couple hours east of Murdo.
The Corn Palace hadn’t intrigued me the way Mount Rushmore had, but it was on our route; so there was no reason not to stop. We followed the signs off the Interstate into Mitchell, turning this way and that until we felt the city fathers deliberately made us visit the historic district on the way to their prime claim to fame.
At last we turned the final corner, and there it was. We looked at each other and burst out laughing. It was, indeed, tacky; hilariously so. It is also billed as the “World’s Only Corn Palace” and has been since its inception in 1892. Back then Mitchell had only a few thousand inhabitants, and I suspect its leaders were seeking ways to generate interest in their community.
The Corn Palace is the central meeting place in town. The outside of it is decorated with thousands of ears of corn, which are cut in half and nailed to the building in various elaborate designs. You’d be amazed (or is that a-maized?) with what one can do with a lot of corn and even greater ingenuity. The inside is a multi-purpose gymnasium and auditorium; and the lady at the entrance told me any event worth having is held here. During our visit, for instance, the toy-tractor pull was going on.
The designs on the exterior are changed every year, with a couple exceptions, at the cost of $130,000. This year, for instance, Mitchell decided to forgo replacing last year’s corn because of the severe drought. The only other times were during World War II.
I couldn’t help but wonder three things: 1. Admission to the Corn Palace is free, so how does the town pay for the redesign every year? 2. With a half million people coming to view it, wouldn’t this be a good source of revenue, even at a dollar a person? 3. Who comes up with all the puns, such as “Aw shucks, you just passed the Corn Palace”?
Of these three questions, the answer to #3 is most curious.
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