begins next week

The U.S. 127 Yard Sale, aka “The World’s Longest Yard Sale” is ready to begin next week and will bring a host of travelers from across the country and beyond to several states, including Kentucky and through the Clinton County area.

What is officially a “weekend” of yard sales has become almost a week-long event over the years. The official 127 Yard Sale dates are slated from Thursday through Sunday, August 4-7. However, vendors in many areas begin setting up as early as the first of that week.

Vendors have anything and everything for sale during the close to 700 mile stretch reaching from the north in Michigan to the south in Alabama.

Shoppers can find items small and large, ranging from coins to vehicles and everything in between.

Many areas also schedule special events and activities during the 127 Sale weekend to attract tourists and make it more fun for adults and children alike.

There are still the usual “hot spots” in each area along the route to find bargains, and here in Clinton County, the locations generally include the area at the Hwy. 127 and 90 intersection of Albany near Junction Station and at Mountain View Park, located off the main bypass but still along the 127 Business district.

The 127 Yard Sale covers 690 miles from Addison, Michigan, to Gadsden, Alabama, and hosts thousands of vendors each year.

The sale travels through six states: Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. The majority of the route follows Highway 127 from Addison, Michigan in the north to Chattanooga, Tennessee in the south. From Lookout Mountain, Georgia to Gadsden, Alabama, the route switches to Lookout Mountain Parkway.

The 127 Sale, now in its 35th year, began in 1987 and was the brainchild of then Fentress County, Tennessee Executive Mike Walker, who planned the event to encourage travelers to bypass interstate highways in favor of scenic routes that would take them through smaller communities and towns.

The Lookout Mountain Parkway, named by Reader’s Digest as one of America’s most scenic drives, was added to the sale route a few years after it began.

Where are the yard sales? Everywhere along the sale route. In the front yards of people’s homes, fields, pastures, on side streets along the route, in empty lots, at businesses, community parks, and town centers.

Some areas will have large groups of vendors together, which are called “Major Vendor Stops,” while others will be set up separately.

There’s no set “opening” or “closing” time for the individual sales along the 127 Yard Sale route. Each vendor chooses the time they want to “open for business.” However, typically vendors are open by 8 a.m. and stay open late into the evening, often until dark.

Like traditional yard sales, you can expect a lot of cash sales, but more and more vendors are accepting credit cards. Still, it’s important to come with plenty of cash in various denominations. It’s easier to haggle when a vendor sees that you have only a certain amount of cash.

There’s no reason to stop shopping if you run out of space in your car, RV, or trailer. Along the route you will find shipping centers and of course the USPS. Consider bringing flattened boxes of different sizes, tape, and other packing materials in case you need them.

Traffic along the 127 Yard Sale route can slow down considerably in congested areas, but how far you can travel in one day is more dependent on what your personal goals are and how much ground you want to travel each day. Make a plan based on your goals and the time you have to travel. Decide in advance how much time you want to spend in each area and try to stick with your plan. Generally, 100-150 miles is as much ground as you can reasonably travel in one day.

Anyone can become a vendor by simply having a yard sale in their yard, at their business, or setting up in a designated vendor space. Many communities have different locations where vendors from within and outside of that town or city can set up a booth.

You can sell just about anything you want! At the 127 Yard Sale, vendors sell all kinds of things, including antiques and collectibles, apparel, arts and crafts, automotive parts /accessories, electronics, furniture, farm implements, glassware, jewelry and watches, housewares, musical instruments, computers, sporting goods, tools, toys, food, produce, and much, much more.

Local residents are reminded that during the first full week(end) in August, the official dates of the 127 Yard Sale, traffic will be much heavier and many travelers and tourists will be on the roads.

Drivers are asked to use caution, especially while driving on the 127 roadways and watch for slow or sudden stops and pedestrians and show courtesy to the visitors that travel through and spend their money in our community.