Saturday Sept 18

Saturday began with a stop at the Turkey Gobbler Festival in Worthington, MN. The local folk had their chairs lined up along Main St. awaiting the Gobbler's race, but first on the agenda was the 10K human race. The 600+ racers were competing in intermittent light mist and 39 degree weather. It was time for us to dig into the back of the Highlander for the long pants and jackets. The gobblers were set to race at 1:30. Even without a schedule it was just too cold to stick around for the turkey race – anyway we've got at least 24 racing around our yard at home – maybe next year.


Next stop, Sioux Falls, SD – nice revived downtown and Falls Park. After viewing the falls from various angles, selecting a couple Sioux quartzite rocks for the grand kids (since they're always collecting rocks), we headed back downtown for lunch. Hot chili from the diner hit the spot and warmed us for a walk to admire the annual sculpture display – more than 50 sculptures from around the world.

On to the famous, one and only, Corn Palace in Mitchell. This was a “must see” since it was part of a Travel show on unusual buildings. We were at the Paper House in Rockport, MA when the show's filming was taking place and we ended up being in the program. The building's graphics are beautifully done in 26 varieties of corn grown exclusively for the art work - described as “color by corn”. We were also lucky enough to arrive in time for the annual Polka Festival with couples from across the country gathering here to dance for the weekend. We didn't take any lessons, just watched and enjoyed their pleasure.