route 127 yard sale

i have always wanted to do the Route 127 yard sale, also known as the largest yard sale in the country. my mom and i decided to not only celebrate her upcoming b-day, but also my first vacation from the store by doing the route and getting some great deals. the following is a summary of the event and i will follow up with some tips in case you decide to do this:We started our adventure in Gadsden, AL...where the sale basically starts, but i have to let you know right now that 127 does not start at 127 in Alabama, but rather another highway that will eventually lead to 127, so make sure you ask around or get a very good map.

If you are into antiquing or yard/junk sales of any kind, I definitely suggest this event at least once in your life. We drove all the way to Danville, Kentucky from Gadsden, Alabama (which was quite overwhelming, but good to know as far as seeing as many major areas for future visits). But really a good trip you need not go more than 100-150 miles of the 650 mile stretch....yes it is that crowded. There is everything from the 50-60 booth mega-fair with fried pies and BBQ to the small 2 table sale with a quilt sitting on a old farm fence. There are sales, deals, squeals and rip-offs waiting to be had and we met a little of each.

(my first score: a taters box for $10)

(second purchase: a teal Ball jar and a old-tymie mayonaise maker)(beer cans, with beer still in it!)

(someone selling pepper jelly-my fave!)
(road possum anyone??)(lots and lots of odds and ends)(this place had the best displays-i bought a beautiful rolling pin and a book here)(my mom bought 2 of these old chairs with hand woven seats)(stagecoach anyone??)
(antiquing school is now in session)(swamp cabbage and fresh lemonade where a hit)(our hotel in Jamestown had burnt down-too bad they didnt tell us- we almost spent the night in the car!)

I will be posting some tips next from the event, but i do have to throw aout some thanks and praises to the very kind people in Tennessee and Kentucky. The owner of the Jordan Hotel in Jamestown was incredible- super nice and gave us the only room she had left when we where left homeless after our hotel burnt down (i guess this happened the weekend before). The people of Jamestown TN were also incredible kind, helpful and nice...definitely worth a visit and stay if you are doing this trip.