10-Foot-Tall Rotating Ear of Corn

Coon Rapids, Iowa

The town has long dreamed of a larger ear of corn -- 50 feet tall and bigger than any other. But for now, visitors must be satisfied with the sometimes motorized ten-footer next to the Coon Rapids town welcome billboard.

What else is Coon Rapids known for?

It's the town "Where Khrushchev Met Roswell Garst." Garst was an agricultural missionary to Russia, and when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev visited the US in September 1959, he (and a mob of reporters) made a special visit to Coon Rapids to meet him.

Mar 2009: Coon Rapids 7th Grader Jon Heydon writes: "The ear of corn in Coon Rapids has been moved to the west at another intersection. The previous location of the rotating corn has been replaced by 3 gigantic silos that represent Coon Rapids hybrid corn history. They are 30 feet high and are well lit and are abstract in their nature. This is all part of Coon Rapids being identified as one of 'Iowa's Great Places.' There are only six of these communities labeled in Iowa."