127 Sale set to celebrate 25th year

Liz Engel Clark
Friday, Jul 20, 2012

The 127 Corridor Sale is scheduled for Aug. 2-5.

JAMESTOWN – There seems to be some high expectations this year surrounding an event known simply as the “World’s Largest Yard Sale.” There’s a milestone anniversary to be celebrated, an extended route that adds nearly 40 miles, and a national TV crew that’s scheduled to make an appearance, filming a one-hour segment for its home-savvy audience.

The 127 Corridor Sale will mark its return Aug. 2-5, and with it, hundreds of thousands of people who are expected to participate along the Tennessee portion of the route. During the four-day event, front lawns are transformed into showcases, where items are displayed, and visitors - some fly in specifically for it – who will be rummaging for some blockbuster deals.

This year, the sale is marking its 25th anniversary – the sale first started in 1987 as an effort to get travelers off the interstates and to the back roads of Kentucky and Tennessee. It was an idea initially born – and now officially based – in Fentress County. The 127 Sale now spans 690 miles, extending its route north of Addison, Mich., and journeying south to Gadsden, Ala. In the UC, it dissects Pickett, Fentress and Cumberland counties, along the way providing an economic boon for restaurants, gas stations, hotels and bed and breakfasts.

“It seems like every couple years the sale grows in popularity and distance,” said Leann Smith of the Fentress County Chamber in Jamestown, which serves as headquarters for the event. “The popularity is continually growing. And this year we did have an addition that makes the sale 690 miles.”

She said the sale’s Facebook page – which allows users to ask questions and post tips – is also nearing 15,000 “likes.”

“That’s been tremendous for us – the use of social media for the event,” Smith said.

HGTV and its “Endless Yard Sale” are also set to return and will be filming a one-hour special highlighting fun, energetic vendors. The network has made multiple appearances at the sale, which has also been featured in year’s past in Time Magazine and the New York Times.

To commemorate the milestone anniversary, the Fentress County Chamber of Commerce will host a kick-off celebration and ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 2. In conjunction, free vendor spaces will be available – for the first time in sale history - in the downtown Jamestown area for the duration of the 127 Sale. For more information, call the chamber at (931) 879-9948.

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