It's Yard Sale Season..Need Tips. By Tammy Lovvorn

As the weather begins to change, weekends begin filling with football, fall festivals, art and craft shows, and yard sales. As a yard sale enthusiast, I recently attended the 127 Yard Sale commonly referred to as “The World’s Longest Yard Sale.” This yard sale covers over 680 miles and travels through six states from Alabama toMichigan. It passes through beautiful country sides, rural communities, and small quaint towns like Mentone, Alabama and Signal Mountain, Tennessee. The 127 Yard Sale is held annually the first Thursday - Sunday inAugust and it’s an annual event for my family. My family includes several generations ranging from my aunt, who is in her 80’s, to my great nephew, who is eight.We caravanned to Cumberland Mountain State Park, which is located in Crossville, Tennessee. This was our home for the next week. We all gathered around the campfire, talked about our plan for the week, and what we were looking to buy this year. These are some essential tips for a successful trip! Below are more tips to make your yard sale adventure fun and successful:

• Have fun and enjoy the time with your family
• Don’t be afraid to  negotiate the price 
• Have small bills...lots of small bills
• Wear good comfortable shoes - ones you don’t mind getting dirty
• Bring hand sanitizer and water
• Bring a tote bag to carry home your finds
• Respect private property​

​After setting up camp, we ventured out for our first look of the year! The official day was Thursday, but many vendors sat up and start selling early! As you travel along the road, look for yard sale signs pointing the way to homes, fields, pastures, parking lots and churches. Get off the beaten path to not only to get great deals, but have a little fun along the way. As I said earlier, my parents traveled with their great grandson, which built special memories for them all and taught him history lessons along the way. For example, he learned about a telephone with no rotary dial and an Anchor Brand Folding Bench Wringer from the early 1910’s. He saw metal school lunch boxes from the 1960’s and metal pedal cars from the 1950’s. It was fun to watch my 78 year old mom describe a typewriter to her great grandson. His reaction was priceless. He saved money all year long for this trip and made a few purchases for him and his little brother.

Another tip for you...focus on finding that one special item. For example, I was looking for a vintage Radio Flyer wagon to use as a photography prop for my great niece, who will be arriving in December. I found one the second day! My brother was looking to purchase youth water skis for his grand children, found them! You can find things like coins from the 1880’s, boat propellors and motors, old cameras, and vintage cans. Just about anything!

If you are ready to start ...here’s a few yard sales to mark on your calendar: the Highway 411 Yard Sale is scheduled for October 2 - 5. This yard sale starts in Leeds, Alabama  and travels along Highway 411 to Tennessee. And according to Facebook, the Highway 48 Yard Sale is October 11 and 12 while the Highway 46 Yard Sale is scheduled for September 27 - 29. These both travel to the Georgia Line.So, stop by a Yard Sale! You might not make a purchase, but the memories you make with your family will last a lifetime.

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