Usually by mid- to late August, corn has ripened enough so workers can begin stripping and removing the old corn from the previous year’s exterior murals. The ears of corn are first sawed in half with a table saw and then, using a carpenter’s air nailer, workers nail the ears to the panel following patterns created by local artists. You might call this artistic process “corn-by-the-number.”

While the exterior of the Corn Palace gets an annual face-lift, the interior has permanent corn murals on the walls surrounding the auditorium, stage and gymnasium. Most of these murals honor the history of South Dakota and include gold miners, hunters, Mount Rushmore, Native Americans and wildlife. These murals were created by Oscar Howe, the late Sioux artist and South Dakota artist laureate.

In addition to hosting numerous sports activities for Mitchell High School (whose sports teams are appropriately named the Kernels) and Dakota Wesleyan University, the Corn Palace is also the center of activity for the town’s annual Corn Festival held the third week of August.

Throughout the year, a wide variety of entertainment is scheduled in this multiuse facility. Some of these events include: concerts, community fundraisers, dinners, banquets, church gatherings, performance art and craft shows, community theatre, blood drives, an annual Shriners circus, basketball camps, boys and girls district basketball tournaments, annual convention meetings, and a variety of dances including proms, square dances and polkas.

Some big-name entertainers who have performed at the Corn Palace include Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Willie Nelson, Wayne Newton, Duke Ellington and Lawrence Welk.

During the summer months, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Corn Palace offers free guided daily tours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Following the tour, visitors can view displays about the artists, view the photos of every Corn Palace’s corn-design themes since 1892 that line the walls, and visit the gift shop to purchase souvenirs. During the rest of the year, the Corn Palace is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except during the winter months (December through March) when it is closed on Sundays.

For further information, check out the website at www.CornPalace.org, or write: Corn Palace Convention and Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 1026, Mitchell, SD 57301. The telephone number is 605-996-6223. For toll-free tourist information, call 866-273-2676.