THE CORN PALACE

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 Before our trip to South Dakota I had never heard of the Corn Palace. It was, however; one of the most fascinating buildings I have ever seen. The history of the Corn Palace kind of reminded me of the history of the Parthenon in Nashville. Like the Parthenon it was meant to be temporary but it became so popular with the locals that they wanted to make it permanent. The Parthenon that exists today was the 2nd and permanent structure. The first was built for the Bicentennial Exposition in 1897 which celebrated Tennessee's bicentennial one year too late. Tennessee became a state in 1796. The Corn Palace we saw in Mitchell was the 3rd Corn Palace. The first Corn Palace was built in 1892 to celebrate a fall festival commemorating the end of the growing season and harvest. It also became a venue for stage entertainment. At that time Mitchell was a town with a population of 3,000. In 1905 the first Corn Palace was torn down and a second one was built. After a while it became too small and the present Corn Palace was built in 1921. The building was considered to have the best basketball arena in the region. Today there are industrial exhibits, dances, stage shows, meetings, banquets, proms, and graduations. It is the arena for Mitchell High School and Dakota Wesleyan University as well as district, regional and state basketball tournaments. USA Today named the Corn Palace one of the top 10 places in America for high school basketball. Many professional singers and bands also perform there. The murals inside and out are made from various colored corn. The exterior murals are changed yearly with different themes. The Corn Palace draws an average of 500,000 visitors a year. 






Blaine and Robbie









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