World’s Longest Yard Sale is just a week away

Posted July 25, 2018 at 1:07 pm

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The U.S. 127 Corridor Sale, an almost 700 mile north to south bargain hunter’s dream, will officially be held next Thursday thought Sunday, August 2-5.

The stretch runs from Michigan to the north to Alabama through the south, taking in several states including Kentucky and Albany/Clinton County.

Although the sale doesn’t officially begin on the calendar until next Thursday, people can expect to see sale vendors setting up as soon as the early part of next week, as many sell their items for a week-long period.

This will be the 31st year for what is dubbed “The World’s Longest Yard Sale.” It is headquartered at the Fentress County Chamber of Commerce in Jamestown, Tennessee on the Upper Cumberland Plateau.

Many sellers in the Jamestown area, among others, begin selling up to a week prior to the official sale days.

It is aptly titled “The World’s Longest Yard Sale,” as every year individuals clean our their closets and stake out their front yards along the Hwy. 127 corridor stretching 690 miles from Addison, Michigan to Gadsden, Alabama.

They band together as communities, in groups or as individuals and over a four-day weekend they welcome an onslaught of visitors from the North, South East, and West. It is a mutual change of cultures with a common goal; to look, buy and sell!

As you drive the country roads, you will hear a collection of dialects, be privy to incredible stories related to the individuals and the items they sell and see a plethora of items that only your grandmother could love. Most importantly, you come to see the unusual and socialize. It is American at its best,” said Dennis Keim, www.dk-studio.com.

The 127 Yard Sale is an annual event that takes place the first Thursday-Sunday in August each year. The route spans six states, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama and is 690 miles long. This unique event draws hundreds of thousands of people (shoppers and vendors) from all around the country.

The sale is not only good for vendors to sell their wares, but is also a boost for the economies of each town and/or county it includes along with route, aiding the lodging and tourist industry, restaurants, etc. and there are always special events planned in many locations along the route during the weekend of the sale.

Several areas in Clinton County have an annual staple of vendors set up along the route, not necessarily directly on Hwy. 127. but parts of Hwy. 90 (that connects to 127) as well.

Vendors and private home sellers will be set up all along Albany and Clinton County next week, with one of the primary locations–and a fundraiser for a volunteer organization–is Mountain View Park, just to name a few.

The outdoor corridor sale has become a mid-summer–and usually just before the start of school–tradition that takes place between two of the big three summer holiday events, Independence Day on July 4 and Labor Day, the first Monday in September.

By looking at the corridor map, Clinton County and Southern Kentucky is almost directly in the middle of the overall route.

The original intent of the sale back in the 1980s was to prove the back roads also have something to offer travelers, tourists and shoppers and that the interstate system isn’t the only mode of vehicle travel.

Local officials and organizations in Kentucky and Tennessee over the years have also put together hundreds of attractions along the route to provide entertainment, attractions, food vendors and various other events for both individuals and families.

Even though the amount of travelers along the route has decreased slightly over the past few years locally, still thousands of visitors are expected to begin traveling through in a few days to try and find that “perfect” deal, as things as small as coins to a big as vehicles, can be found to purchase.

For a successful sale-going experience, here are some tips:

* Take care while driving. There is a lot of stop-and-go traffic along the route.

* Look out for “no parking” or “no trespassing” signs.

* Bring cash.

* Plan and map your route carefully.

* Contact your local chamber of commerce if you have questions.

For more information about the U.S. 127 Corridor Sale in general, or specific information about specific locations, log on to www.127sale.com.

As an early morning fog lifted Tuesday morning in the Snow Community of central Clinton County, signs of the arrival of next week’s 127 Yard Sale were found with these three large tents that had been set up already. The intersection of U.S. 127 and Ky. 90 is one of the most concentrated areas of 127 Sale vendors every year. The 127 Sale “officially” begins Thursday, August 2 and continues through Sunday, August 5.