If you think all the bargains are on eBay, think again.
Could I interest you in taking a leisurely drive through beautiful country and examining close-up a slice right out of the middle of middle-America, while at the same time doing some prime bargain hunting? Hit the road next August for the world's longest yard sale. And take your camera.
The York Grist Mill on the Wolf River at Pall Mall, Tennessee
was operated by World War I hero Sergeant Alvin York until
his death in 1964. It is part of the Sergeant Alvin C. York State
Historic Park, which also includes his home.
The epitome of the two-lane U.S. Highways which bound mid-20th century America together in a network of asphalt ribbons, U.S. Highway 127 winds its way in obscurity from Michigan to its terminus in Chattanooga, Tennessee for 51 weeks each year, quietly going about its job of linking small towns in the heart of America’s heartland. But for one glorious weekend each summer, old 127 puts on its party clothes and welcomes hordes of bargain-hunters to an unique celebration: the world's longest yard sale, where you can buy anything from toys to tractors.
In the earlier years of this century and the late 20th century, I spent some time photographing various segments of what was then known as the 450-Mile Yard Sale, culminating in 2005 with a three-day trip from its southern end at Gadsden, Alabama on the Lookout Mountain Parkway, to its northern end, which was then Covington, Kentucky. It's grown since then, and now runs on north through mostly rural Ohio all the way to Hudson, Michigan; a total of 690 miles.
Officially known as the 127 Sale, the event began in 1987 as the brainchild of Mike Walker, a Fentress County, Tennessee official who hoped to draw visitors from the interstates to the backroads. A route was planned in Tennessee and Kentucky and a list was compiled of nearby attractions for people to visit, as well as shopping the sales.
The web sites for the 127 Sale are 127sale.com and 127yardsale.com. The 2021 sale will be August 5-8.
All photos Canon EOS 20D, Canon 24-85 f3.5-4.5EF lens.
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(Photographs copyright David B. Jenkins
2020)
Soli Gloria Deo
To the glory of God alone
When my kids were still home we visited Cumberland Mountain State Park and stayed in one of their cabins for a week. On the way down we came upon the York home. It was a fun stop on our trip. I had no idea about the yard sale.
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