By Sarrah Peters, News Editor
Next week, Lookout Mountain Parkway will host the 30th annual World’s Longest Yard Sale. The yard sale starts on August 3, and will continue through August 6.
Gadsden’s Noccalula Falls Park is the “southern point of beginning” for the sale, according to Greater Gadsden Area Tourism Director Hugh Stump. The sale continues on Lookout Mountain Parkway and U.S. 127 for 690 miles all the way to Hudson, Michigan, the northern beginning point.
Gadsden Greater Area Tourism will have a welcome center at the Kiwanis Pavilion in Noccalula Falls Park, where it will provide free bottled water, maps and information about the route. World’s Longest Yard Sale t-shirts will be available for purchase.
In addition to the welcome center, several hundred yard sale particpants will be selling their wares at Noccalula Falls Park. Stump said that the spaces available always sell out.
There is no official starting time for the sale, though Stump said that most sellers start early, especially in the South because it gets so hot.
Stump said that not much of the sale is official, with most yard sale participants just setting up in their front yards.
“The beauty of the sale is that it’s dynamic, always changing,” said Stump. “People do what they want.”
As a result, the items available for sale vary immensely. You never know what you might find, including collectibles, antiques, dishes, furniture, clothes, books, jewelry and even fresh produce.
However, Stump said that the most interesting aspect of the sale is the people it brings to the area. He has met people from about 30 different states during the sale.
Stump recommends getting an early start on the sale. He also recommends bringing along bug spray, sunscreen and cash, as there are not many ATMs along the route. He advises that particpants be careful driving along the route.
“Be on the lookout for people pulling off or on the road,” said Stump
The World’s Longest Yard Sale was first started in 1987 in Fentress County, Tenn., to demonstrate the usefulness and beauty of back roads and attract visitors to lesser known areas. Gadsden has participated in the yard sale since its beginning. The sale kept expanding and now passes through six states.
For more information, visit www.greatergadsden.com or call 888-565-0411. Information and maps are available for download at www.greatergadsden.com/guides.