My wife and I were considering going to the Highway 127 yard sale that runs 690 miles from Michigan to Alabama. It takes place from Aug. 4-7 this year. We would only be able to do part of the route, maybe through part of 2 states. Thinking Ohio and Kentucky, or Kentucky and Tennessee. I was curious if any one on here has ever tried this event? Any tips, experiences, finds that anyone would like to share. I here that it can get pretty crazy, especially bad traffic issues. Thanks.
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Highway 127 Yard Sales ???
- Thread starter Jody M
- Start date
I did TN/KY last year and LOVED it. There are some real scores to be had for a ton of stuff...but it's hard to not become numb to the sheer volume of useful collectibles available. Picked up a neat piece of iron in the process, which was what slowly brought me to the forum.
Traffic is a real issue in different parts - gotta keep your nugget on a swivel. Think I saw 2 accidents. Mostly a 2 lane road, and it's jammed with people driving slow, deciding whether to "stop here, or keep going?" Take lots of water, make hotel reservations now (if you can). Don't pass up a porta-john when you see one. Take lotsa cash in small bills
I was amazed at how the prices varied, from wildly low to wildly high and everything in between. You have to develop a feel for where to stop...or not. To start with, we stopped at every little garage sale looking place; after a while, we learned to go to the bigger accumulations of vendors. Capitalism in action, lol!
127 goes right in front of Alvin York's house in Pall Mall, TN, which surprised me. That was a half-day stop.
Sadly, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it this year...You should go!
Steve
Traffic is a real issue in different parts - gotta keep your nugget on a swivel. Think I saw 2 accidents. Mostly a 2 lane road, and it's jammed with people driving slow, deciding whether to "stop here, or keep going?" Take lots of water, make hotel reservations now (if you can). Don't pass up a porta-john when you see one. Take lotsa cash in small bills
I was amazed at how the prices varied, from wildly low to wildly high and everything in between. You have to develop a feel for where to stop...or not. To start with, we stopped at every little garage sale looking place; after a while, we learned to go to the bigger accumulations of vendors. Capitalism in action, lol!127 goes right in front of Alvin York's house in Pall Mall, TN, which surprised me. That was a half-day stop.
Sadly, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it this year...You should go!
Steve
I quickly learned to skip the yard sales. I was amazed to learn how much tourist destination stuff there is in the area, and only did TN/KY (I didn't mention the Museum of Appalachia www.museumofappalachia.org earlier...an amazing collection!). Part of the planning is deciding what's the focus of the trip, with lots of other possibilities besides what I'll list here:
- leave no stone unturned...stop everywhere?
- wavetops only...only stop at vendor accumulations?
- do some junking while hitting other interesting spots?
- a lot also depends on where you're starting from
- etc.
No right/wrong approach, just what works for you. Which is probably why the traffic is such a hazard.
Steve
Good information Steve. Found out this evening that my wife has an event that weekend and can't go, but she said I should find a friend and go. Might even consider flying solo, that way I could travel at my own pace and stop when i feel the urge. I once hauled 41 pieces of cast iron in the back of my Jeep, it might be fun to see if I could break that record, lol. I'll have to give this some thought. By the way, what was the piece of iron you picked up on your trip?
It was a D/"SIDNEY"/8 skillet which provided a chance to get interested in restoring iron...especially when I learned how old it is! Only downside is that it had been plated at some point, but that matters not in cooking with it.
Since you got a kitchen pass, I'd encourage you to go, whether it's with a buddy or solo.
Steve
This thread has pics of the skillet. Should have looked it up earlier!
http://www.castironcollector.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3526
http://www.castironcollector.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3526
I remember seeing that thread now. That's a great looking piece. Very unusual with the residual plating. As far as the hwy 127 yard sale, I'm considering finding another big sale on a different weekend so that my wife and I can go together. Any suggestions? Within 6-8 hours of Pittsburgh, PA.
I'd say go hit 127, that's supposedly the MacDaddy. What about Hershey? Seems they're always having shows up there for other stuff, don't know about flea market type things.
NC has several different events through the summer; the 301 Yardsale is coming up June 17-18 (it's only ~100 miles long, so may be great or a bust, I've never done it before: www.301endlessyardsale.com). There are also a couple in the mountains which don't fit with my schedule, but I'd sure like to attend! Google is your friend.
Thanks for your comments on my skillet! Wonder why so much of the plating came off? It cooks well, that's most important.
Steve
Hey Steve. My wife and I ended up doing a 100 mile yard sale through Elk and Clearfield counties in North Central PA. We jumped on in clearfield, which is only about 2 1/2 hours from our house. The sales are on a Friday and Saturday, and we just did an all-day Saturday trip. We had a lot of fun and I picked up 5 or 6 old items that weren't cast iron related. Only picked up 2 skillets, a #3 CHF hammered 83 and #5 3-notch lodge. I did find a few places that had a decent amount of CI, including some better pieces, but they were more like vendors than private yard sales, so the prices were a little too high for my liking. It was a very fun, relaxing day that we plan on making an annual event.
Bonnie Scott
Active member
Jody, my family is from Clearfield. I have a lot of relatives there, maybe you got one of my families skillets.
I made the two hour trek to this. I didn't really plan my trip though and ended up just spending a few hours in karthaus. I did find a bunch of CI but I completely agree about the vendor pricing. I could only laugh at some of the prices on them. I asked one fellow about the prices and he told me they were "priced to sell"
Not sure if I will make the trip next year but of i do it will be planned better.
Bonnie, I would have bet you snatched up all the family cast iron that wasn't wanted any more, lol.
Jay, Karthaus seemed to have the most going on. Although there were several places where vendors set up, I was pleasantly surprised that the majority of the route was traditional yard sales.
Jay, Karthaus seemed to have the most going on. Although there were several places where vendors set up, I was pleasantly surprised that the majority of the route was traditional yard sales.
Sounds like you made the 127 Yardsale, with MUCH less driving too/fro!
I did essentially the same thing here in NC, back in June, and got a $5 skillet which I'd been wanting for a while. Glad you had a relaxing experience.Steve