Latest news with #CornPalace
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
2026 corn murals to feature patriotic theme
MITCHELL, S.D. (KELO)– Next year marks the 250th anniversary of America. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4th, 1776. The Corn Palace in Mitchell is getting ready for the milestone. Rescue at Hippie Hole in the Black Hills Next year's murals will be all about the U.S. 'They're really representative of what our country's been through,' Corn Palace Director Dave Sietsema said. The patriotic theme of the 2026 designs coincides with the 250th anniversary of the country. 'We have some recruiting posters from the WWII era, we have the Wright Brothers aviation, we have the American eagle, the American flag, symbols like that that our country draws itself to to celebrate our patriotic side and who we are as a country,' Sietsema said. While the current murals will still remain up for months, work is underway to replace the material surrounding the murals. 'We've got a crew of high school and college kids who come back, we go out to any particular farmer's field and pick sour dock, like this right out of the field, and then we come back and we put in it a bundle like this,' Field Director Clark Mickelson said. The rye will also be replaced. Later this year, it will be time to add the new murals. 'Probably in October, November when the corn is harvested. It takes about 60 acres of corn to cover the corn palace,' Sietsema said. The murals were designed by Dakota Wesleyan students studying digital media and design. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
What to pack in your car for a summer road trip, according to automotive experts
Ah, the summer road trip — one of my favorite pastimes. Every year growing up, my family packed up the minivan and hit the road, driving all over the country to visit national parks and roadside monuments (Corn Palace and Wall Drug, anyone?). Now that I'm a father myself, I've kept the tradition going — minus the minivan. These days, it's a whole lot easier. No paper maps. No TripTiks from AAA (remember those?). An iPad keeps the back seat happy, and instead of digging through a pile of CDs, I just queue up my kiddo's favorite soundtracks on my phone. Of course, even with all the modern upgrades, a good road trip still takes some prep. To make sure I wasn't missing anything, I tapped car expert and longtime automotive writer David Gluckman for his best tips on how to get your car road-trip ready — from what to check under the hood to what to stash in the trunk. Between his advice and the setup I've dialed in over the years, we've got a formula that keeps everyone charged, entertained and (most importantly) full of snacks. Here's how to prep for a road trip — and the summer essentials I bring on every adventure to make sure things go (somewhat) according to plan. First things first, before leaving your driveway, you should make sure your car is in good working order. That means checking the brakes, battery, tires and getting an oil change. And in the off-chance that your car has a few hiccups on the road, it's better to have the tools to deal with those issues than wait for a tow truck. Believe me, I've been there. Make sure all of the equipment that came with your car is still there as well, says Gluckman. "This should go without saying, but make sure your car has its jack onboard and the spare tire is inflated or you have a tire-repair kit if the car didn't come with a spare." You've got kids in the middle seat, dogs in the third row, snacks flying everywhere and drinks being spilled. Keeping a car clean during a road trip can seem like a Herculean task. Don't stress. The car will end up messy. But by making a couple of changes, like starting the trip out with a clean car and using a car trash can instead of that old Target bag, you can keep your sanity and limit the disaster. Want to get to your destination quickly? One of the major slowdowns I've encountered is stopping for every meal. Don't get me wrong, sometimes you need to pull into that Waffle House parking lot just to stretch your legs, but if you really want to eat those miles up as fast as possible, keep your food in your car. My wife and I pre-make sandwiches and stash them in our portable fridge to be eaten whenever hunger hits. It'll save you quite a bit of money too, especially these days, when fast food no longer equals cheap food. Our phones are our lifelines more than ever, especially on the road. Maps, music and movies (not to mention the ability to call for help) all disappear once that battery goes dead, so keeping all of your electronics charged is incredibly important. While driving has gotten safer and safer, for most of us it is still the most dangerous thing that we do, and while we hope that nothing bad will happen when we're on the road, it's better to be prepared for the worst.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Corn Palace board regularly meets in private, while other city boards more transparent
May 17—MITCHELL — There is no city business like the Corn Palace business. Mitchell's Corn Palace Entertainment Board holds an executive session during its regular monthly meetings at Mitchell City Hall as a matter of routine, with very little to no public discussion. While executive sessions are acceptable under specific conditions via South Dakota codified law, they otherwise lack transparency and typically allow the officials utilizing them to avoid public accountability. The Corn Palace Entertainment Board has held an executive session four times this year alone, but comparatively since the beginning of 2023 the city's Park Board has had four executive sessions and the Golf and Cemetery Board has had three, mainly citing legal or contractual topics. The Corn Palace Entertainment Board's January meeting featured an open discussion about the Corn Palace Festival returning to Main Street. At the start of the meeting, board members approved agenda items, which included an executive session, but no executive session was held. This open discussion was the exception rather than the norm because February through May the board has gone behind closed doors at some point during its monthly meeting. According to state law, executive or closed meetings may be held, under certain stipulations, for the sole purposes of consulting with legal counsel, contract negotiations, conducting public safety planning, and discussing personnel matters and competitive business strategies. In 2024, multiple South Dakota cities came under fire for violating open meeting laws. Violations are a class 2 misdemeanor, but no one has ever been prosecuted on the matter. The meeting agenda of the Corn Palace Entertainment Board quotes South Dakota statute on closed meetings, stating "Discussing marketing or pricing strategies by a board or commission of a business owned by the state or any of its political subdivisions," yet leaves off the end of the statute, "when public discussion may be harmful to the competitive position of the business." When asked about the clause that determines if public discussion would be harmful to the competitive position of the business, Corn Palace Director Dave Sietsema deferred to City Administrator Stephanie Ellwein, who then deferred to City Attorney Justin Johnson. Johnson put the decision back in the hands of the Corn Palace Entertainment Board, which makes the decision to go into executive session through voting action. "I guess that begs the question of who decides when it may be harmful to the competitive position of the business and in my view, that's the board's decision," Johnson said. Board members include chair Steve Morgan, Giovanni Lanier, Jory Hanson, Jason Bates, Nancy Conzemius, John Foster and Christie Gunkel, though Gunkel joined the board in April. Municipal statute-mandated positions include City Council Member Tim Goldammer and Chamber of Commerce Vice President Johanna Allen. Mayor Jordan Hanson also regularly attends the meetings. Typically, only a few minutes of each Corn Palace Entertainment Board meeting is conducted in open setting, with most of the discussion wrapped up in executive session. When asked, Johnson could not guarantee that board members are not discussing topics that should be part of an open meeting during the executive session. "I guess as much guarantee as there would be for any other executive session that other people or other boards are conducting," Johnson said. The statute also states, "discussion during the closed meeting is restricted to the purpose specified in the closure motion." In disregard of this, recent meetings have cited the marketing or pricing strategies statute while discussing contracts, which has its own statute. "There's nothing that would stop them from separately listing them or even putting them on there together," Johnson said. "I don't see an issue with the way that they're doing it now." Johnson noted that the intention of the statute and the intention of the meeting is to keep the discussion limited to a specific topic, which is stated on the agenda. In December 2024, the Corn Palace Entertainment board spent about 90 minutes in executive session and then came out of the closed-door session approve a rental rate hike for the city-owned facility. There was no public discussion that followed to justify the rental increase. In 2025, each board meeting has included a lengthy discussion while in executive session except for January. Other city boards, such as the Park Board, Golf and Cemetery Board, openly discuss pricing rate motivations, park shelter rates , and cemetery and campground fees. Of city boards, the Sports and Events Authority (SEA) routinely goes into executive session for 20 to 25 minutes to discuss awarding grants to local sports and events organizations. In February 2024, the SEA began utilizing executive sessions. Previous to this, grant award discussions were open. At the May 6 Corn Palace Entertainment Board meeting, during an executive session, the board discussed a sponsorship contract for the six TVs in the Corn Palace lobby. The result? The city is now offering six-month contracts at $1,500 or 12 months at $2,500 for 10-second spots to run 60 times during an eight-hour period each day. Still, the state statute emphasizes executive session can be held when there is a need for discussion that protects the "competitive position of the business." The business in this case would be the Corn Palace. However, the Corn Palace is unique to the city in being the only large tourist attraction that has rolling TV sponsorships with company logos. "The board has to be able to discuss what their pricing strategy is on those sponsorships before they come out and act on it publicly," Ellwein said. After the executive session, the board followed protocol and motioned to approve TV sponsorship rates, as stated on the meeting's agenda. According to Ellwein, the Corn Palace is different so the executive sessions are necessary. "It's the only entity we have that needs to do it," Ellwein said. Recently, while negotiating the entertainment booking fee contracts for the Corn Palace Festival, offers or bids were made in executive sessions. "You can't release some of that information until you have a contract in place," Ellwein said. Ellwein expressed concern that the city could lose out on bids for entertainers if the discussion was open to the public. South Dakota statute states, "any official action concerning the matters pursuant to this section shall be made at an open official meeting." That means while the board has the ability to use executive session, any official action must be voted on publicly. Upon exiting the executive session, the board can maintain a certain level of anonymity by supplying a line on the agenda to approve an entertainer's contract with Pepper Entertainment, the independent concert promotion company that helps secure festival talent, without expressly stating the name of the entertainer. Yet, city staff have taken steps to finalize two acts for the 2025 Corn Palace Festival without a follow-up motion to approve steps to enter into a contract. No motion to enter a contract was on the agenda for the February, March and April meetings, which could be considered a violation of state statute. In recent years, no agendas have had a line item to approve contracts for the Corn Palace Festival after an executive session. On April 4 and April 11, city staff announced festival acts country music artist Justin Moore for Thursday, Aug. 21 and rocker and TV-personality Brett Michaels for Saturday, Aug. 23. "We do not have any Friday entertainment announced. The board will continue to have executive sessions at a minimum until that's determined," Ellwein said.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
I've driven across five continents — here are 15 tech items I bring on road trips
Ah, the summer road trip — one of my favorite pastimes. Every year growing up, my family packed up the minivan and hit the road, driving all over the country to visit national parks and roadside monuments (Corn Palace and Wall Drug, anyone?). Now that I'm a father myself, I've kept the tradition going — minus the minivan. These days, it's a whole lot easier. No paper maps. No TripTiks from AAA (remember those?). And instead of a tube TV, VCR and stack of VHS tapes, you can get by with an iPad. My kiddo's still too young for movies, but all her favorite soundtracks are on my phone — no digging through a pile of CDs. Of course, even with the modern upgrades, a good road trip still requires planning — especially when it comes to keeping everyone (and everything) charged, entertained and full of snacks. Over the years, I've dialed in a setup that makes our drives smoother and a lot more fun. Here are the summer road-trip tech essentials I bring on every adventure to make sure things go (somewhat) according to plan. If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.) The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Marshall Mitchell: Mitchell City Council takes Corn Palace gift shop one year at a time
Apr. 21—MITCHELL — The city of Mitchell hopes to one day sell its own corn-themed items directly to tourists, and until then, it contracts out the privilege. The Mitchell City Council, during its regular meeting on April 21, unanimously renewed a contract for the Mitchell Chamber of Commerce to operate the Corn Palace Gift Shop inside of the Corn Palace in the 2026 season. The rental fee is being increased from $165,000 to $180,000 for the 2026 summer season. The current rental rate of $165,000 was set in 2023 for the 2024 and the 2025 seasons. The rate is a 9% increase, and accounts for inflation from 2023 to 2026, according to City Administrator Stephanie Ellwein. The contract renews the city of Mitchell's agreement with the Chamber, but on a one-year term with the goal of the city operating the Corn Palace gift shop in the future, according to Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson. On the horizon for the city is a potential Corn Palace renovation, which may affect the timing of another contract renewal for the Chamber running the gift shop. As it stands now, the Corn Palace renovations will take an estimated 18 months to design and another 18 months to renovate, according to Hanson. Previous plans to permanently move the gift shop into the Corn Palace placed the gift shop where the City Hall council chambers are located, which included moving City Hall. That plan might be renewed, according to council member Jeff Smith. "What we're trying to do is in phases," Smith told the Mitchell Republic. "And so this would be the gift shop over here and it would be permanently set up." The phased plan would gain traction for winter time patronage of the Corn Palace gift shop, including those who come to basketball games and other events, according to Smith. The Mitchell Chamber of Commerce made a few announcements to the council, including historical reenactments at the Corn Palace, and a new $20,000 promotional tourism video to update the existing one, which is dated, according to Chamber of Commerce CEO Mike Lauritsen. "Historical reenactments are things that the people that come to visit the Corn Palace want to see," Lauritsen said. "And so we're going to have people dressed to make the visitor experience something more memorable." Lauritsen credited the idea to chamber staff Doreen Nelson and Jennifer Haddon, who heard requests from bus tour operators for reenactments while at the American Bus Association Conference. The novelty items will overtake the Corn Palace for the 2026 season after the last Mitchell High School and Dakota Wesleyan University graduation has occurred and will vacate after the completion of the Corn Palace Festival. During the winter months, the gift shop operates out of a brick and mortar location across the street from the Corn Palace in a building that is owned by the Mitchell Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. The gift shop sells South Dakota and corn-themed T-shirts, magnets, games, and packaged cobbs and popcorn. The city and the Chamber had until May 1 to renew the contract for the 2026 season, according to a previous agreement.
