DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   The Corn Palace serves as a multi-use center for the community and region. The facility hosts stage shows, as well as sports events in its arena. The World's Only Corn Palace is an outstanding structure which stands as a tribute to the agricultural heritage of South Dakota.     The original Corn Palace, called "The Corn Belt Exposition" was established in 1892. Early settlers displayed the fruits of their harvest on the building exterior in order to prove the fertility of South Dakota soil. The third and present building was completed for it first festival at the present location in 1921.    The exterior decorations are completely stripped down and new murals are created each year. The theme is selected by the Corn Palace Festival Committee and murals are designed by a local artist. Corn Palace History    The World's Only Corn Palace is Mitchell's premier tourist attraction. Some 500,000 tourists come from around the nation each year to s

    Black cats have been the subject of much fear and superstition for centuries.     Depending on the part of the world you lived in, and the time in history in which you lived, they could be associated with evil, demons, illness, prosperity, luck....even a storm at sea. Superstitions about these cats still remain, and unfortunately they sometimes become the objects of fear.     The color black was ( and still is, to an extent) associated with mystery, darkness and evil. Cats that were totally or mainly black were therefore often associated with witches. As a result, many a poor woman was burnt at the stake or drowned in the local river in the Middle Ages in Britain, and her pet cat was often burned or drowned along with her.     Some people believed these cats were demons, or a form of the devil, in disguise, so the woman who owned the cat must therefore be a witch. Others believed that the cats aided witches in performing black magic. Some thought they were actually