Sunday, September 29, 2019

Bismarck, ND


September – a great time to visit Bismarck, ND



Why now? Festivals, rummage sales, running races, parades, and a powwow! Weather tends to fluctuate from the 50’s to the 90’s, so dress in layers.

The first weekend after Labor Day is always Powwow AND rummage sale weekend. The three-day powwow is held at the United Tribes Technical College. This year was especially exciting because it was the 50th year of the Powwow! With tribes from all over the world, it was really something to see. We had never watched the Grand Entry and it was amazing - each dancer was basically dancing the same steps, but with his or her own style.


Solar powered lighting!

The Downtowners Association hosts the Street Fair the second weekend after Labor Day, Friday and Saturday. The event is small enough to not be overwhelming, but large enough to spend several hours browsing local artisans’ booths and tasting local flavors.




Fruit Danish from the Brick Oven Bakery

The Autumnfest Parade usually falls on Street Fair weekend or the weekend after. It starts and ends at the Capitol grounds. The other big event that usually falls on the third weekend in September is the Bismarck Marathon - a healthy way to raise money for local charities!

The Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra holds their first concert of the season in September. Concerts are held at the historic Belle Mehus auditorium. This year the headliner of the concert was Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue!



What a great time to visit!


Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Mott; Elgin; New Leipzig; Carson & St. Anthony, ND



Ahhh… sunflower season… we almost missed it this year!

We had missed the sunflowers in Bismarck, so we set out in search of sunflower fields that were at their peak. According to the North Dakota Tourism website, there are several places to visit for prime sunflower viewing. We checked out the Sunflower Map and realized that the peak sunflowers closest to us (at this late date) were north of Mott, ND. So away we went!




The route we chose was I-94 W to ND-8 S, so we could get there fast, then take a more leisurely route home. Several sunflower fields lined the highway - but their heads were so heavy with seeds, they were past their prime. We kept going to 53rd St. and there they were - the bright yellow fields we had been yearning for! Don't worry - we followed the advice from ND Tourism and stayed out of the fields!




Mott, ND

We drove on to Mott and discovered the best of Mott (in our opinion) - the park and the murals. Along Brown St., there are two murals and a lovely little memorial park where the Hotel Brown was located before it burned down in 1989. Our biggest mistake in Mott was not trying the door at The Tilted Tulip flower and coffee shop - we learned later that they had been open!




















Elgin, ND

The Sippin' Chicken was a happy surprise. They had previously shared space in the Green Stem Floral and Gift Shop. Just three weeks ago they reopened in the old Farmers State Bank. The bank vault is one of the loveliest storage rooms we've ever seen!






Well, we grabbed a few tasty coffees (and some cherry pie) and sat down to play Tic Tac Toe… we also learned a little about the town from owner Shawna Ottmar. She was excited to share that several of the business owners in Elgin are sprucing up their shops. We will definitely come back this fall for Oktoberfest! Ottmar told us to call ahead for one of her massive caramel rolls if we visit on a Friday.

We found out from Ottmar that New Leipzig had a great little restaurant called the Let's Eat Cafe. So we turned around and drove the 5 miles back to New Leipzig.

New Leipzig, ND





The charming Let's Eat Cafe just opened in September 2017. OMG! Good thing we backtracked… the Knoephla Soup and Frybread Tacos hit the spot! If we hadn’t just purchased coffee, we would have tried the coffee, as there was quite a selection. Another must visit if passing through the area - now that we are following Let’s Eat Cafe on Facebook, we are drooling over the donuts and daily specials!




Carson, ND

This town reminded us of Medora, with the weathered brown siding and shingles. We were interested in checking out the Nerds Bar Bowling and Rec, but it is no longer open. However, a nice little bar, with a small arcade area is located in the same space - Rock Ridge Bar.

Our favorite part of Carson was the interesting sidewalk art… 😁



St. Anthony, ND

By the time we left Carson, we were a little tired, so we were just going to race home. But we just couldn't resist stopping at Rusty's Saloon & Grill in St. Anthony. Beautiful wood bar, antler chandelier, lovely bathrooms, and the fleischkuechle and fries were a tasty early, shareable supper.

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