Becky and Lonnie's Permanent Vacation

Mitchell Corn Palace

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014

Mitchell, SD
R&R Campground

Our plan for yesterday was to leave Gillette and travel 190 miles to Wall, SD.  The miles went quickly on I-90 and we arrived in Wall by 1:30 so we ate lunch and decided to go the other 221 miles to Mitchell for a 2 night stay instead of 1.  We encounter many rain storms along the way that did a great job of removing all the bugs from the front of our coach.  It got pretty scary a couple of times with lightning coming down around us.  We pulled into the R&R Campground by 7:00 rushing to set up before the storm we just drove through caught up with us.  Sure enough, it started raining 30 minutes after we pulled in.  By this morning the sky was clear and blue so we set out to explore Mitchell, South Dakota.

What is the landmark of Mitchell but the Corn Palace.  It was a little disappointing because they are undergoing major renovations.  There was still new murals to view inside and outside.  The lobby area was closed, the big domes were gone and the front was surrounded by a big fence.

Some of the new murals are completed on the side of the building near the new entrance.  The walls of the building are covered in corn husks and the murals done in corn cobs, painted different colors.

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, fatheads and sour dock are tied in bundles and attached.  When the 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.

This is how the patterns are laid out by the artist.
  

This is actually the third Corn Palace in Mitchell since 1892.  It is a folk art wonder that attracts thousands of visitors each year and it is the center of community activity, hosting basketball games, stage shows, trade shows, and a variety of other activities.

As with the outside murals, these are all done in corn cobs.

This space was the only place open for viewing inside.  The lobby area was closed for construction. 

A-maize-ing art work.

Our next stop was the Dakota Wesleyan Campus to visit the George & Eleanor McGovern Library.

The Library has a museum of George & Eleanor's life.  It was on this campus that young George met Eleanor.  In their early lives as college students it talked about their living on peanut butter and milk.  George went on in his life to work towards feeding the hungry.  He was instrumental in starting the WIC program and push for school lunches to feed hungry children in the United States and around the world.

A section of the library is set aside for a story of his life and bid for president against Richard Nixon.  He served South Dakota as US House of Representative from 1957-61 and Senator from 1963-81.  

He chaired the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs in 1968-77.  He spent his life working as director of Food for Peace and instrumental in the creation of the United Nations-run World Food Program.

He was the 1972 Democratic nomination for President but lost to Richard Nixon.  

It is always interesting to look back at the History of Politics and history.

Who could go through Mitchell without stopping into the big Cabela's Store?

The display of exotic animals and fish are worth the trip through the store.

Becky enjoyed a trip down memory lane by exploring the Gun Library and counter.  The firearms designs and prices have really changed in the last 10 years since she was in business.  She also noticed not one single box of .22 caliber ammo on the shelves.  Shotgun shells being sold in 100 packs instead of boxes of 25.  The industry is changing.

Tomorrow we are back on the road again towards Illinois.  We shall see what we find along the way... stay tuned.

Becky and Lonnie