South Dakota Trip: Mitchell, Home of the CORN PALACE!!!

If you've ever gotten some "kicks on Route 66", you've probably seen a little bit of Americana and lots of tacky, tourist kitsch. Well, South Dakota doesn't have Route 66, but it does have plenty of tacky, tourist kitsch, and I love it! For example, there's the giant buffallo outside Al's Oasis:
But my favorite so far has been the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. It originated in 1892 as a way to boast about the bounty of the local harvest. Today, the inside of the building is used as a souvenir shop in the summer and a gymnasium/theater in the winter. However, the main attraction for me and the original purpose of the building is there year round: the corn mural. The outside of the building is decorated with a mural made of grasses, seeds and most importantly CORN! Being an Illinois boy, I appreciate watching the annual cycle of corn fields: from rows of small seedlings in the spring, to mature stalks with their wonderfully heady sweet smell in the warm summer air, followed by the dry, brown stalks that decorate the autumn landscape and finally the lonely fields of winter with bits of stalks and husks left by the combines to brave the bitter cold and wait for next year's planting. Of course, I also have a special place in my heart for fresh corn-on-the-cob and corn-fed-beef!

Anyway, Ann & I rolled into Mitchell around 6 p.m., just enough time to go inside the Corn Palace and see all the murals (there are some inside too!) and buy a souvenir or two. We also took a self portrait:

Each year, the Corn Palace has a theme for the year. The theme for 2008 was "Everyday Heroes". The theme for 2009 is "America's Destinations". We happened to be there while they were in the process of removing 2008's designs and replacing it with 2009's. It was interesting to see. Before attaching the ears of corn to the palace, each one is cut in half, making it easier to staple to the building and to make the harvest go twice as far. The other bonus of being there between themes is that we got to see a little bit of both. My favorite panel from the "Everyday Heroes" theme was a panel honoring teachers:

"America's Destinations" will feature the Gateway Arch in St. Louis in one of the panels. If anyone gets the chance to see that, please send me a picture. Thanks!

MITCHELL, SD: bonus tracks . . .
The Corn Palace was more than enough to make my day. Little did I know that Ann & I were in for quite an adventure before this magical day was over and before departing that special town of Mitchell!!!

Leaving the Corn Palace, Ann & I walked across the street and talked to a very helpful, sweet, retired teacher at a souvenir/tourist information shop. We told her we wanted to find a quiet, local place for a quick drink before heading out to find a hotel for the night. She suggested that we stop at the Jackpot, a little place down the street, before heading out of town. She recommended the jackpot because it features sawdust on the floor and "Dances with Wolves" souvenirs on the walls. We've never been in a drinkin' hole with sawdust on the floor, and we both liked the movie "Dances with Wolves", so we followed her advice.

Just walking down the street was an experience. Mitchell's lamp posts feature ears of corn at the base. Kitchy cool! And the street we were strolling on was the main drag through old downtown Mitchell where teens were crusin' and making sure they were noticed. (I had to edit the video to make it G-rated.)










Eventually, we made it to the Jackpot where the craziness began. First, we sat at the bar, hoping to strike up a conversation with some locals. Eventually, we started talking with three Native Americans who grew up on reservations here in South Dakota. As far as I know, it was the first time I ever talked with someone from a reservation. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but they didn't fit what was in my mind.

Anyway, Ann & I decided to stay at the Jackpot for more than just one drink like we were planning, and I guess that's how we "hit the jackpot" of vacation adventure. As the night wore on, we saw some crazy stuff!!! First, one of the people at the bar was celebrating his birthday, so they took turns giving him a birthday spanking. I thought it was more like a whipping since they used a belt!!!

Can you believe it?!?!

Well, Ann & I decided to stay and have a second drink, mostly 'cause we didn't want to miss anything in this bizarre place. Little did we know that we were about to witness even more craziness in Mitchell. Next, they had leftover bottle rockets from the 4th of July that they began using for what the DJ called "Rocket's Red Glare". (Apparently, it's a stunt from a show on MTV.) The DJ got volunteers from the crowd to come up on stage, had them pull out the back waist band of their pants just enough to slip a bottle rocket between their pants and shirt and had the volunteers squeeze their cheeks as the DJ lit the bottle rocket. (Remember, we're inside a building with a wooden floor!!!) If the volunteer failed to squeeze their cheeks sufficiently, the bottle rocket flew out from between their shirt and pants and into the bar:

But if they were successful, the rocket exploded right there on their back!!!

Another unbelievable moment in Mitchell!!!
Don't worry mom, they were fully clothed the entire time.
Dangerous? Yes. Naked? No. Insane? Definitely!!!

Well, the bar finally closed at 2 a.m. I think the unbelievalbe activity continued, but we left to look for a place to stay. Luckily, the second hotel we tried had a vacancy.
I guess you can say we put in a good 8-hour shift in Mitchell. All thanks to the Corn Palace and a nice little retired teacher lady's recommendation.