Imagine a flea market as long as the eye can see.
Imagine a neverending street party that goes on for miles and miles.
Imagine having anything you could ever think of right there displayed on both sides of the roads.
Imagine an outside mall with no signs to help you locate what you want. You just have to keep walking until you find it.
This is the 450 mile long yard sale that stretches on and beyond the rural HWY of US 127 once a year.
To me, it's not only complete chaos but a very fun giant street party.
It is supposed to last just 3 1/2 days but it doesn't. The vendors will arrive a week ahead of time and start setting up. They'll sell as soon as they do. They won't leave exactly on the day they are supposed to either. Some stragglers will hang on an extra day or so. In many areas, they have to close each evening at 5:00 but some don't. They are here to sell, sell, sell as much as they can in record time. For some, this annual sale is the only time they actually work. For others, they flea market for a living and continue to travel year round peddling whatever they have.
In just a matter of minutes, I can drive off my mountain road and run into the notorious HWY 127 which will play host once again to this insane idea of the World's Longest Yard Sale. I will be in the thick of it soon as I get to the bottom of my mountain.
I'm not really the yard sale type. I don't especially like junk; we have enough of our own, but some of this stuff is special junk that you can't find on a daily basis. I suppose a little junk is permissible but I do try to avoid it as much as I can. Each year, the boys and I plan out our route: We choose a different town to go to each day. We usually know where certain vendors will be located and depending on what we are looking for, we'll head in that direction.
As you travel down the highway, on both sides of the roads, people set up their tables, pitch their tents, construct buildings, and build a variety of structures including log cabins just for this event to display their wares. Some are very elaborate stores with carpeting, or flooring, generated air conditioners or fans; others just set up a modest card table or use a couple of saw horses with a piece of plywood for their table. They come from everywhere, all over the US. They come in cars, trucks, motor homes, pulling their wares behind them in trailers.
The locals will participate by cleaning out their barns and closets filled with old clothes, and whathaveyou.
One year the boys and I participated. I set up tables with tack that I didn't need in front of our store in town that happened to be right on the highway; several saddles, bridles, stable blankets etc. The boys sold lemonade and watermelon slices and made two hundred bucks in just a few hours. That was a lot of lemonade. I got top price for my stuff and it was gone in one afternoon.
Here you will find clothes, antiques, glassware and collectables, those darn collectables that I call "dust catchers. How about a working traffic light? How about a railroad crossing sign? Heck with that, how about the whole train? Yes you can buy anything you want. Need a piano? Want to buy a house? Realtors will be there handing out brochures. People Magazine and HGTV will be there again too. This is also big business. There are always semi-s loaded with new televisions, furniture, electronics beyond belief. They may be black market or not. Have no clue, but it must be legitimate because some of the larger vendors are checked by authorities. There are always horse related things including some great finds like harnesses, carriages and carts, and the horses to pull them too! There will be draft horses, mini horses, and all kinds of ponys. It's all paid by cash though. No one is going to take your check! I got many of my barn decorations there these past years including my cast iron horse heads and wagon wheels that are at my entranceway. Prices will vary but usually everyone will deal by the last day to keep from hauling their wares back home. My favorite things are the crafts made by our local artisans.
The towns are congested with bumper to bumper traffic. If you see anything you want, just stop dead in the road and leave your car sit there with the motor running while you run and grab what you want. That's ok. The people you are holding up behind you don't care; their browsing also at 2 mph anyway. There's always music. Music gets pumped out of the court house through loud speakers that you can hear all over town. Usually some kind of pickin and grinning banjo music. It's all such fun. Some local business' will just give up and close down for the duration because their customers don't have any places left to park. My dog vet locks up and leaves town too. We'll remain open though, of course......sigh.
The neet thing is that with so many people, there isn't really any pushing or terrible shoving in the crowds, not that I ever say anyhow. People are friendly, happy, and excited and for the most part courteous. No nasty stuff so that is pretty cool.
There's plenty of food, whatever you want all over the place; hot dog stands, ice cream trucks, barbecue and burgers on the grill. The boys and I have a special place on Signal Mountain that we go to each year for lunch. They have the best spare ribs in the world. There's usually porta pottys set up for certain people that take water pills too all over the place
: One you leave town, traffic gets better along the highway stretch to the next town; but while you are riding to get to the next town, both sides of the roads are still full of great merchandise that shouldn't be overlooked. Some farmers may rent their pasture space. I know one local retired farmer that makes $3,000 a day for the use of his land from the renting vendors. He counts on that money to pay his taxes and live on as part of his annual income.
Last year Dan and I didn't go. We couldn't do it without Michael; he thrived on this sale so much. He would be so excited and hang out the back window of the truck "mom stop here, mom go back, mom did you see that?" This year, Dan has no interest at all and he'll be at work anyhow. Looks like Amy and I are on are own. Well, that's what she was hired for, to help me get through these times and keep me company.
Well it starts here in a few days. I cruised through town today and saw the construction of some places underway. The local little town hotel and bed and breakfasts are already all booked up for this event.
Let me know if you want me to keep on the lookout for anything you need!
Amy and I are ready. I think.
Here's some pictures that the boys took a couple years ago
and some links for more information
http://www.127sale.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/15/travel/e...nyt&emc=rss
http://www.tourdekalb.com/yardsaleinfo.htm
Imagine a neverending street party that goes on for miles and miles.
Imagine having anything you could ever think of right there displayed on both sides of the roads.
Imagine an outside mall with no signs to help you locate what you want. You just have to keep walking until you find it.
This is the 450 mile long yard sale that stretches on and beyond the rural HWY of US 127 once a year.
To me, it's not only complete chaos but a very fun giant street party.
It is supposed to last just 3 1/2 days but it doesn't. The vendors will arrive a week ahead of time and start setting up. They'll sell as soon as they do. They won't leave exactly on the day they are supposed to either. Some stragglers will hang on an extra day or so. In many areas, they have to close each evening at 5:00 but some don't. They are here to sell, sell, sell as much as they can in record time. For some, this annual sale is the only time they actually work. For others, they flea market for a living and continue to travel year round peddling whatever they have.
In just a matter of minutes, I can drive off my mountain road and run into the notorious HWY 127 which will play host once again to this insane idea of the World's Longest Yard Sale. I will be in the thick of it soon as I get to the bottom of my mountain.
I'm not really the yard sale type. I don't especially like junk; we have enough of our own, but some of this stuff is special junk that you can't find on a daily basis. I suppose a little junk is permissible but I do try to avoid it as much as I can. Each year, the boys and I plan out our route: We choose a different town to go to each day. We usually know where certain vendors will be located and depending on what we are looking for, we'll head in that direction.
As you travel down the highway, on both sides of the roads, people set up their tables, pitch their tents, construct buildings, and build a variety of structures including log cabins just for this event to display their wares. Some are very elaborate stores with carpeting, or flooring, generated air conditioners or fans; others just set up a modest card table or use a couple of saw horses with a piece of plywood for their table. They come from everywhere, all over the US. They come in cars, trucks, motor homes, pulling their wares behind them in trailers.
The locals will participate by cleaning out their barns and closets filled with old clothes, and whathaveyou.
One year the boys and I participated. I set up tables with tack that I didn't need in front of our store in town that happened to be right on the highway; several saddles, bridles, stable blankets etc. The boys sold lemonade and watermelon slices and made two hundred bucks in just a few hours. That was a lot of lemonade. I got top price for my stuff and it was gone in one afternoon.
Here you will find clothes, antiques, glassware and collectables, those darn collectables that I call "dust catchers. How about a working traffic light? How about a railroad crossing sign? Heck with that, how about the whole train? Yes you can buy anything you want. Need a piano? Want to buy a house? Realtors will be there handing out brochures. People Magazine and HGTV will be there again too. This is also big business. There are always semi-s loaded with new televisions, furniture, electronics beyond belief. They may be black market or not. Have no clue, but it must be legitimate because some of the larger vendors are checked by authorities. There are always horse related things including some great finds like harnesses, carriages and carts, and the horses to pull them too! There will be draft horses, mini horses, and all kinds of ponys. It's all paid by cash though. No one is going to take your check! I got many of my barn decorations there these past years including my cast iron horse heads and wagon wheels that are at my entranceway. Prices will vary but usually everyone will deal by the last day to keep from hauling their wares back home. My favorite things are the crafts made by our local artisans.
The towns are congested with bumper to bumper traffic. If you see anything you want, just stop dead in the road and leave your car sit there with the motor running while you run and grab what you want. That's ok. The people you are holding up behind you don't care; their browsing also at 2 mph anyway. There's always music. Music gets pumped out of the court house through loud speakers that you can hear all over town. Usually some kind of pickin and grinning banjo music. It's all such fun. Some local business' will just give up and close down for the duration because their customers don't have any places left to park. My dog vet locks up and leaves town too. We'll remain open though, of course......sigh.
The neet thing is that with so many people, there isn't really any pushing or terrible shoving in the crowds, not that I ever say anyhow. People are friendly, happy, and excited and for the most part courteous. No nasty stuff so that is pretty cool.
There's plenty of food, whatever you want all over the place; hot dog stands, ice cream trucks, barbecue and burgers on the grill. The boys and I have a special place on Signal Mountain that we go to each year for lunch. They have the best spare ribs in the world. There's usually porta pottys set up for certain people that take water pills too all over the place
Last year Dan and I didn't go. We couldn't do it without Michael; he thrived on this sale so much. He would be so excited and hang out the back window of the truck "mom stop here, mom go back, mom did you see that?" This year, Dan has no interest at all and he'll be at work anyhow. Looks like Amy and I are on are own. Well, that's what she was hired for, to help me get through these times and keep me company.
Well it starts here in a few days. I cruised through town today and saw the construction of some places underway. The local little town hotel and bed and breakfasts are already all booked up for this event.
Let me know if you want me to keep on the lookout for anything you need!
Amy and I are ready. I think.
Here's some pictures that the boys took a couple years ago
and some links for more information
http://www.127sale.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/15/travel/e...nyt&emc=rss
http://www.tourdekalb.com/yardsaleinfo.htm
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???? I think so...
