Regional Recreation: Chan SanSan Backway Quilt Run

Are you looking for a day away from the hum of chainsaws and the sore muscles you've gotten from cleaning the trees out of your yard after the recent wind storm destroyed so many of the city's trees? The a lady's day out may be just what you need!

As one of only 10 scenic byways and backways in the state, the Chan SanSan features 35 miles of beautiful scenery through southeastern North Dakota. Sonya Albertson, the Chan SanSan Scenic Backway Coordinator, has teamed up with quilting businesses to host five tour stops along the scenic roadway from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 21. Part of Albertson's job is to promote the Chan SanSan, one of the lesser known scenic drives in North Dakota and she was looking for something new that would bring people who hadn't driven it before.

The Chan SanSan became a backway in 2001. It's first name was the James River Scenic Backroad-the Chan SanSan Tour. Over the years, it's been shortened to the Chan SanSan Scenic Backway, getting its name from the Yanktonai Sioux name for the James River – Chan SanSan. The backway runs for 35 miles along the James River Valley in LaMoure County, from State Highway 46 on the north to the LaMoure/Dickey County line on the south end. The backway starts north of Adrian and runs through Dickey, Grand Rapids and LaMoure. When travelers drive through the valley, they can see the panorama of the winding James River surrounded by tall prairie grass and wildflowers.

"If you love the prairie landscape, you should drive the Chan SanSan," Albertson said, "it is beautiful. Especially this time of year with the wildflowers blooming, the birds and butterflies will also be bountiful."

The area is rich in Native American and early pioneer history, which is explained at interpretive panels along the route and at the museum in LaMoure County Memorial Park north of Grand Rapids. Look for earthen mounds between Grand Rapids and Adrian and visit sites such as the historic, domed LaMoure County Courthouse, the Red Wing paddle boat, the Pony Truss bridge and the beautiful St. Ansgar Lutheran Church south of LaMoure.

There are multiple opportunities for recreation and wildlife viewing along the backway. Enjoy boating, kayaking, fishing, birding and picnicking at the Heinrich-Martin Dam area near Adrian, Limesand-Seefeldt Dam Recreation Area north of Grand Rapids, the LaMoure Dam site, and at Lake LaMoure in the Cottonwood Creek Recreation Area.

LaMoure County Memorial Park is just north of Grand Rapids on paved roads. Memorial Park is settled along the bends of the James River. The park is home to the LaMoure County Museum, LaMoure County Summer Musical Theatre and next to Memorial Park Country Club.

The idea for the quilt run came to Albertson to bring people to the Backway. Albertson says she got the idea from the rummage sales that run along the Old Red, Old Ten Scenic Byway from Mandan to Dickinson every year. With so many skilled quilters in their area, it seemed fitting to do quilt shows and have a quilt run.

Once the idea was born, it was a matter of getting it going. Albertson said it was easy to find volunteers who wanted to bring the idea to life and she said they quickly had 20 volunteers that are helping with the five shows. She's very appreciative of the sponsorship of the local quilt shops that are helping to sponsor the event, including Comforts of Home Quilting & More in Jamestown, Quilted Ceiling & Gifts in Valley City, Quilt-N-Sew, LLC in Oakes and Rumpelquiltskin in Wishek.

There are five shows in the quilt run, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Adrian, Dickey Town Hall, LaMoure County Museum at Memorial Park, Zoar Lutheran Church in LaMoure, and St. Ansgar Lutheran Church, south of LaMoure. You can start the quilt run at any one of these locations. With a free will offering, you'll receive a ticket and that ticket will be punched at every show site you visit. Going to all five of the shows makes you eligible for prize drawings. The grand prize is a beautiful, twin size quilt made and donated by Lynnette Winters, who lives south of LaMoure and other prizes include quilt shop items and long-arm quilting.

It's not just fabric quilts that you can see that day. As you drive the backway on Saturday, keep an eye out for the colorful barn quilts that dot the landscape. There will also be barn quilts displayed at each of the show sites Then, after seeing these barn quilts, if you decide that you want to see more, Darrell Rohrda, a farmer north of the backway in the Ypsilanti area, has been painting barn quilts and has done sixteen of them in that area. Maps will be available at the shows if you would like to see more of the barn quilts in the area.

Dining options along the way include the café in Dickey, the beautiful country club at Memorial Park, and several different choices in LaMoure. To get more information about the quilt run, you can call her at (701) 368-8638 or check their Facebook page, Chan SanSan Scenic Backway, which will be continually updated with more information.

"Come on out!" Albertson encourages. "Enjoy the beautiful scenery that North Dakota has to offer while seeing the work of talented North Dakota artists."