The Highway 127 Corridor Sale returns to the Upper Cumberland this week to offer travelers a unique experience of Americana across the world’s longest yard sale.
Fentress County Chamber President Jacob Rosenbaum said the event spans 695 miles from Michigan to Alabama. Rosenbaum said the county remains the official headquarters for the massive route that features a diverse collection of vendors and stops.
“I know that there are a lot of people who have tried to do the entire sale, and it generally takes them years to, you know, they’ll do a certain section one year and then a certain section the next, and they’ve tried to do all 695 miles of it,” Rosenbaum said.
Rosenbaum said former county executive Mike Walker created the event to provide an economic benefit to communities along the highway. Rosenbaum said the sale generates millions of dollars across the entire route while supporting local restaurants and lodging.
“Well, I think it’s, it’s the, for yard sellers, it’s sort of the Super Bowl, you know,” Rosenbaum said. “It’s, it’s the world’s longest yard sale, so it’s the biggest event in North America of its kind.”
Rosenbaum said the sale attracts antique dealers from across the United States and Canada who sell items ranging from old appliances and hand tools to furniture and art. Rosenbaum said the inventory is so diverse that shoppers can find exotic items like a seven-foot bronze camel statue.
“And the breadth of items that you can find, you’re just not going to be able to find anywhere else, and you may never go, you know, to these places,” Rosenbaum said. “But there are, as I said earlier, antique dealers that come from, you know, they come from Washington State all the way to Tennessee, and you’re never going to go to that antique shop, but they’ve come here this one time of year and set up a tent, and you can see what they have.”
Rosenbaum said the event serves as a hotspot for quality antiques because many local residents deal in those items. Rosenbaum said the scenic drive across the Cumberland Plateau adds to the experience for those taking a leisurely trip.
“And of course, the people are great, you know, they, they love meeting new people and getting to know you, and people have built lifelong relationships with one another as a result of participating in the 127 yard sale,” Rosenbaum said.
The yard sale takes place from Thursday through Sunday.
