Jamestown garden tour to feature four yards across the city

Four private yards will open across Jamestown when the 36th AAUW Garden Tour runs Wednesday, July 15, from 4 to 8 p.m. The route stretches from southwest to southeast to northwest to northeast, turning one evening into a practical look at how neighbors shape outdoor space, maintain property and invest in their homes.

Wanda and Jeff Blaskowski, 1010 9th St. SW

The southwest stop at the Blaskowski home gives the tour its first look at how a Jamestown yard can be organized for everyday use and curb appeal. Because the tour is built around private homes rather than public display beds, the point is not perfection but stewardship, the kind of attention that keeps a yard looking cared for through a long summer.

That matters in a city where homeowners weigh beauty against maintenance, especially when landscaping, planting beds and outdoor living areas have to hold up week after week. Visitors who stop here can take in one household’s approach to spacing, plant placement and general upkeep, then compare it with the other three yards spread around town.

Dennis Prodzinski, 1210 9th Ave. SE

The southeast yard broadens the picture by showing another part of Jamestown and another residential setting. With the Blaskowski home in the southwest and the Prodzinski yard in the southeast, the tour already makes clear that this is a citywide sample, not a single-neighborhood stroll.

That kind of geographic spread is part of what gives the event its value. Residents can move from one side of Jamestown to another and see how homeowners use their lots differently, whether the focus is on planting beds, a low-maintenance layout or simply keeping outdoor spaces tidy and welcoming. For people thinking about their own yards, the comparison can be as useful as any gardening tip sheet.

Candice Dempsey and Jim Weight, 602 8th Ave. NW

The northwest stop at the Dempsey and Weight home adds another layer to the tour’s mix of residential styles. In a lineup like this, each yard becomes a case study in how neighbors make choices about flowers, vegetables, landscaping and the outdoor spaces that frame a home.

That is where the tour’s broader community value shows up. Jamestown residents can borrow ideas from what they see, whether they are looking for a better way to organize a bed, manage open lawn space or create a yard that is attractive without demanding constant work. The tour also encourages conversation among neighbors about what it takes to keep private property in good shape, which is part of neighborhood stewardship whether a yard is large or small.

Jaci and Harley Trefz, 703 Eastwood Dr. NE

The northeast stop at the Trefz home closes the route and adds one more practical detail for visitors: refreshments provided by AAUW members will be available there. The Jamestown Branch of the American Association of University Women also has a printable map on its tour page, which makes it easier to move between the four homes spread across the city.

The tour’s fundraising side is just as important as the gardens themselves. Proceeds support the AAUW Foundation and the University of Jamestown Scholarship Endowment, giving the event a direct tie to education and civic service in Stutsman County. AAUW says last year’s tour drew visitors from 14 North Dakota towns and eight different states, with 260 tickets sold and attendance estimated at about 220 people. A 2014 AAUW-related account said the garden tour began in 1989, had used 85 different locations by then and had raised around $40,000 since it started. That history helps explain why the event has lasted: it blends volunteer fundraising, home pride and a simple public invitation to see what local residents are building in their own yards.