By Staff
ANTIQUE YARD SALE Billy Campbell, a local antiques dealer, prepares his booth on Tuesday for the 4th Annual U.S. Highway 11 Antique Alley Yard Sale. The 502 miles of yard sales begin in Meridian and end in Bristol, Va. all to promote small-town America. The event runs May 16-May 19.Photo by Paula Merritt / The Meridian Star
By Fredie Carmichael / staff writer
May 8, 2002
Local antique dealers are busy preparing for next week's 502-mile yard sale created to promote small towns across the South from Meridian to Bristol, Va.
The U.S. 11 Antique Alley Yard Sale, set for May 16-19, is designed to promote small-town America by luring people off interstate highways and into small towns along U.S. 11.
The sale, which includes small towns, cities and communities in five states, is being organized by tourism associations across the South, including the Lauderdale County Tourism Bureau.
In Lauderdale County, people can sell and shop at four spots on U.S. 11: the old Irving Motel in Meridian, Williams Country Grocery in Russell, Russell Baptist Church and the old Dixie Gas in Kewanee.
In DeKalb County and Fort Payne, Ala., officials said the yard sale is a great promotional tool to highlight and draw attention to the area.
For the past three years, the sale began in Birmingham, Ala., and stretched all the way to Chattanooga, Tenn. Tucker said Meridian and Bristol, Va., were added this year to expand the sale.
Even though area residents and antique dealers didn't know Meridian was added until a few weeks ago, Campbell said he still hopes people here will participate and sell their goods.