If you've ever heard of the Corn Palace, you'll know it is in Mitchell, South Dakota. Though these tributes to farming were more common in the late 1800s, the only one still in existence is in Mitchell.

 

 

The outside of the building is a mosaic of different colored corn (with a few other grains thrown in as needed). Here is one side of the front for this year.

 

and the side of the building, honoring the different branches of the armed services

 

Inside there is a wall of photos of past years - the displays change every year, cost $130,000 to put together from 10 different strains of corn grown by a single grower. Here is a photo from the early 1900s:

 

 

The inside is a combination basketball stadium and concert hall. And it's FREE!

After our early morning visit to the Corn Palace, we headed to the Badlands National Park. We took advantage of a beautiful Mother's Day to enjoy some austere scenery and take a few pictures -

We even found a few flowers:

Happy Mother's Day to all!