Sellers prepare for big crowds next week

Having a yard sale isn't easy, especially when the sale has the possibility of being hit by hundreds or even thousands of people in a day. But that hasn't stopped the Jackson Historical Association from participating in the 100-Mile Yard Sale.

Pricing items, setting up tables and staying outside from 6 a.m. until almost dark is all part of the process, said Barbara Lohr, a member of the association. But in the end the sale is worth the effort.

"It's a big moneymaker for us, and it's kind of fun," Lohr said. Each year on the Saturday of the sale her organization takes part to raise money. The association sets up in the parking lot of South Elementary and raises about $800.

In less than a decade the sale has become a Memorial Day weekend tradition in Southeast Missouri, with thousands from states as far away as Alaska attending.

Thursday begins the seventh year of the yard-sale blowout, a loosely organized event that invites area residents to set up yard sales lining Highway 25 in a 97-mile stretch from Jackson to Kennett.

Started as a small affair by Ellen Lowe of Bloomfield, the yard sale has since blossomed into an event that brings big dollars to many local businesses.

Convenience stores, gas stations, restaurants and hotels all benefit greatly from the sale, said Marybeth Williams, executive director of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. Already many local hotels are booked for one of the yard sale's five days, she said.

"Last year you could hardly get down Highway 25 south of Jackson Trail," Williams said. "You have to drive slow because people just pull off the road without even a signal. It's crazy."

Mailed 5,000 brochures

This year the Dexter Chamber of Commerce, which is the lead organization in putting together the event, mailed out 5,000 brochures for the sale to other area chambers of commerce and to residents in other states. Dexter chamber executive director Janet Coleman said the event has grown every year, and this year is expected to be the biggest yet.

More and more people have started setting up sales away from the highway in towns the road runs through, said Coleman.

One of them is Paul Harris of Advance. Harris is a former antique dealer who sets up his sale in his yard and puts out signs on the highway to beckon visitors. Many antique dealers buy Harris' goods. One year a man bought a whole trailer of items.

Unlike the Jackson Historical Association, Harris is selling every day of the sale from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Thursday to Memorial Day.

"You have to be here mostly all day long because if you don't there will be drifters that come by regardless, and if you're not there you'll miss them," Harris said.

Williams said there are whole subdivisions in the area that will have sales, putting signs out on the highway like Harris does.

Some people from other areas see the event as a vacation opportunity. Williams said the Jackson chamber received a call from a man in Tennessee who plans to spend several days in the area and travel the length of the route.

Others from out-of-state have begun to take part in the sale as vendors, Coleman said.

"We've had people from Illinois call about finding a space to set up," she said.

For more information on the 100-Mile Yard Sale, call the Jackson Chamber of Commerce at 243-8131.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182