The original idea came from
Fentress County, Tennessee, county executive Mike Walker, and was established in 1987. When it began, the sale route followed US 127 from
Covington, Kentucky, to
Chattanooga, Tennessee. A few years after the event was established, the
Lookout Mountain Parkway was added to the route, extending it from Chattanooga southward through northwestern
Georgia and northeastern
Alabama to
Gadsden. In 2006, the route was extended northward from Covington, through
Ohio to the
Michigan border, making its last major stops around
Bryan, Ohio, and points northward. In 2010, the sale was extended northward to
Hudson, Michigan. In 2012, it was extended again to north of Addison, Michigan, totaling an approximate end-to-end distance of .
Southern extension of the yard sale route The Lookout Mountain Parkway extension of the yard sale route through Alabama and Georgia includes the roadways listed below. In
DeKalb County,
Alabama: • Tabor Road off
Alabama State Route 211 (Noccalula Road) from Gadsden northeast to Collinsville •
Alabama State Route 176 from
Collinsville to
Dogtown, Alabama, • DeKalb County to
Mentone, Alabama, and •
Alabama State Route 117 to the Georgia state line. In
Chatooga,
Dade, and
Walker Counties, Georgia: •
Georgia State Route 48 to the GA 157 junction in
Cloudland, Georgia, •
Georgia State Route 157 north to the GA 136 junction, •
Georgia State Route 136 west to the GA 189 junction, and •
Georgia State Route 189 to the Tennessee state line on
Lookout Mountain. In southern
Hamilton County,
Tennessee: •
Tennessee State Route 148 in Lookout Mountain, and • from the SR 148 junction to the
Interstate 24 interchange in downtown Chattanooga.
Media The event was featured on
HGTV in 2006. ==See also==