There is not a group or organization that spends hours or months of planning to make the unofficial garage sale weekend take place in Bismarck-Mandan on the powwow weekend.

When I first moved to Bismarck 6 years ago, I remember calling home and telling my family how Bismarck loves to have garage sales or as we call then down South, carport sales. Go figure. But I shared with my family how many garage sales were taking place. Little did I know until later about the annual event and now it makes sense!

Now I know, the annual event varies from year to year depending on when the cultural event takes place at UTTC. As I mentioned above, there is not an official committee or group that plans the garage sale weekend, it just happens.

Adding to the already congested traffic of the visitors from the powwow, now you add the rubberneckers who are car-window shopping for items displayed on tables in people driveway and front lawn. It boils down to heavy traffic, people driving while not looking at the road and then add to the mix the hundreds of visitors not familiar with driving in Bis-Man and looking for various places to eat or looking at their GPS to find something in town. It's a mess!

It's a madhouse. One of the most congested areas would be Watcher Street off of South Washington. This entire street joins in huge sale and sometimes several houses combine all of their surplus items to make a multi-house sale.

It is the most unusual weekend I have ever witnessed.

But then, the most bizarre thing happens on late Sunday afternoon or evening. What is not sold at most of these houses, then gets placed on the street for the public to pick up for free! Amazing I say! Just amazing.

I hope you found some great one of a kind items you wanted.

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