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Officials stress safety as World’s Longest Yard Sale is set to begin amid coronavirus pandemic

Staff file photo by C.B. Schmelter / January Alexander prices items at the J. Alexander Home vendor location along Taft Highway at last year's 127 Yard Sale in Walden. This year's version of the 127 Yard Sale, also known as the World's Longest Yard Sale, will start Thursday, spanning nearly 700 miles across six states. Though the sale is held almost entirely outdoors, officials are urging caution because of the coronavirus.
Staff file photo by C.B. Schmelter / January Alexander prices items at the J. Alexander Home vendor location along Taft Highway at last year's 127 Yard Sale in Walden. This year's version of the 127 Yard Sale, also known as the World's Longest Yard Sale, will start Thursday, spanning nearly 700 miles across six states. Though the sale is held almost entirely outdoors, officials are urging caution because of the coronavirus. Staff file photo by C.B. Schmelter / January Alexander prices items at the J. Alexander Home vendor location along Taft Highway at last year's 127 Yard Sale in Walden. This year's version of the 127 Yard Sale, also known as the World's Longest Yard Sale, will start Thursday, spanning nearly 700 miles across six states. Though the sale is held almost entirely outdoors, officials are urging caution because of the coronavirus.

By Lisa Denton 2 min read

The World’s Longest Yard Sale will go on as scheduled this year, but longtime shoppers will notice a few changes stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

For starters, along with commemorative T-shirts, tote bags and phone covers, a sponsor website is selling souvenir face masks.

Josh Randall, operations manager at Mountain Glen RV Park & Campground in Pikeville, Tennessee, which manages the sponsor site 127yardsale.com, sees that as a plus.

“By and large, I think this event can go on safely because you can wear masks when needed and it’s pretty much entirely outdoors,” he said. “From the feedback we’re getting, [people] don’t seem to think it’s something to be very worried about. They’re excited to participate.”

The four-day sale, which starts Thursday, follows Highway 127 from Addison, Michigan, to Gadsden, Alabama [picking up on the Lookout Mountain Parkway south of Chattanooga]. Pandemic notwithstanding, thousands of shoppers are expected to converge on the 690-mile route, where vendors will be set up in parks, parking lots and pull-offs with merchandise ready for purchase.