Do You Like Corn?

On my way out to Badlands National Park, it was recommended by one of my teaching peers, Carolyn, that I had to go see Corn Palace.  In the middle of the rolling South Dakota prairie there is this town called Mitchell, and it has a convention center that is literally covered in ears of corn.  Dubbed, "America's Largest Bird Feeder" by the locals, all the designs are made out of 240,000 ears of corn and some wheat mixed in.  The only thing not covered in corn in this picture are the domes on top of the building. The current building has a basketball court inside and large auditorium for concerts.  Each year the Corn Palace is re-designed with a theme, this is the 2012 design behind me recognizing youth activities.  This design will be disassembled in August in preparation for the next harvest.

Another quick watercolor painting of the prairie falling down into the valley surrounding the Missouri River.  Look closely for the farm house in the center of the picture to try to get an idea of the scale of the rolling hills.  This is just up the river from Chamberlin, SD.