Mitchell, South Dakota - Jackalope

Concrete Jack-a-lope with a saddle where you can sit. It's awesome, despite it missing one of its sets of horns. It was a delight to spot on our way out of Mitchell, right near the McDonald's. [Cathy Tenaglia, 03/26/2008]

[RA: September 2009 - photo added.]

We stopped in Mitchell on a tour of South Dakota -- the jackalope is still there, although he has only one antler left. The Sasquatch seems to be gone, sadly. [J.R. Adamson, 07/28/2004]

We're sorry to report that the corpulent, white aproned, Happy Chef will no longer be holding his spoon aloft. On May 6, 2002 the Happy Chef restaurant became an Ember's and the BIG gentle Chef was consigned to the city landfill. The shortsighted city officials prohibit removing anything from the dump and therefore a local landmark is forever lost (except for the feet/shoes of the Chef the we're lovingly saved and coverted to useful and decorative outdoor planters). RIP Good Friend, We'll miss you! [J. D. Taylor, 05/12/2002]

While visiting the Corn Palace I stumbled upon a Happy Chef in Mitchell. I took his picture mostly because he makes a cameo appearance in RA's Wiener Fever Dream Tour and because he's a really big roadside sculpture. Something about the Happy Chef continued to haunt me upon my return home. What's with his bowlegged stance? And that crazed expression? Then it hit me; this is a statue of a crazed man who suffers from rickets, has beaten the kitchen staff at the local sanitarium, stolen a chef hat and spoon and is racing to freedom, arms pinwheeling in lunatic joy. Don't you agree? [Greg Brown, 09/30/2001]

[RA: Yes, exactly what we were thinking.]

The home of the world's only Corn Palace, also boasts a fine collection of roadside fiberglass figurines.

Intersection of I-90 & SD 37 [Burr Street] -- the "Happy Chef" -- a corpulent fellow raising a mixing spoon and sporting an apron and floppy chef's hat. Inexplicably he's got a 55 gallon garbage can chained to his leg . . .

Burr Street & Norway Avenue -- about 200 yards north and 50 yards west of the Happy Chef you'll find three, count 'em, three attractions. On the lawn of the Thunderbird Motel you can have your picture taken with the fiberglass triptych of Sasquatch aka Bigfoot, a real spiffy totem pole, and the every popular prairie hybrid, the jackalope. For the uninformed that's a cross between a jack rabbit and antelope. Runs fast and with those horns it's nothing to mess with. This one is just the right size to mount like a horse and have an action shot for the folks back home! [RA: Yes, we all posed on this fella last time through Mitchell.]

Another quarter mile or so north at the intersection of Burr Street and Havens Avenue you'll find on the south west corner a fine American Bison about, oh, 14' tall. Sight down his nose and you'll see, right across the street, the "Big Steer", mascot of Chef Louie's Steak House & Lounge, serving only certified Angus beef.

Pretty hefty collection for a town of 15,000, won't you agree? [J.D. Taylor, 05/02/1999]