It's amazing what a few people with nothing more than unwanted possessions, ample lawn space and a dream can accomplish. This year marks the 25th annual of “The World’s Longest Yard Sale,” which now stretches more than 690 miles from just north of Addison, Mich., all the way to Gadsden, Ala. Every year, the sale begins on the first Thursday in August (Aug. 2-5 this year), and people come from miles around to peruse the items of others that are just too good to be thrown away.
The Chattanooga section was tacked on shortly after the inception of the sale in 1987 with the addition of the Lookout Mountain Parkway, which stretched the route an extra 100 miles, giving it the coveted title of “The World’s Longest Yard Sale.” Since then, it’s been the calling card of the event, now with centrally located headquarters at the Fentress County Chamber of Commerce in Jamestown, Tenn., who claimed in a news release, “People come from near and far to view this spectacular event. Folks come from all across the country by car, truck, motor home or plane. Some fly in, rent a car, travel the route and ship the newfound treasures back home. Some pull a trailer behind a truck, park the trailer somewhere and run around in the truck seeking items.”
Even though it only took 25 years, mass media recognized the level of excitement the event generates and finally decided to document it. HGTV’s show “Endless Yardsale” will be filming this year and they’re looking for fun, energetic vendors ready to show off their merchandise setting up between the Chattanooga and Jamestown landmarks. So don’t just put your old lamps and velvet Elvis paintings up for barter, put yourself out there. The allure of a yard sale is that you never know what you’ll find, and now you can add cable-television celebrity to those options.
—Cole Rose