Roller Coaster Yard Sale facts for kids
The Roller Coaster Yard Sale is a huge outdoor sale. It's also called the Roller Coaster Fair. This event happens every year for three days. It starts on the first Thursday in October. You can find it along many roads in southern Kentucky and northern middle Tennessee. It's like a giant treasure hunt stretching for miles!
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About the Roller Coaster Sale
This amazing event began in 1986. A person named Sarah Ann Bowers started it. She wanted to show how busy the Cordell Hull Highway was. This road includes KY 63 and KY 90 in Barren County. Sarah wanted to prove that many people traveled on this beautiful road.
In 2001, the sale became very popular. Over 140,000 visitors came from far away. They came just to explore the yard sales along these special roads.
The sale routes grew even bigger in 2002. They added KY 163 south of Tompkinsville. They also added SR 51, SR 52, and SR 111. These new parts were in Clay, Overton, and Pickett counties in Middle Tennessee.
Soon after, more roads were added. These included US 127 in Clinton County, Kentucky. Also, KY 90 from Clinton County through Burkesville to Glasgow and Cave City, Kentucky. This made the event go all the way around the Dale Hollow Lake area.
Today, the total length of the yard sale route is about 159 miles (256 km). It covers five counties in Kentucky and three counties in Tennessee. It's a really long sale!
Roller Coaster Fair's Designated Routes
The Roller Coaster Fair takes place at many different booths. These booths are set up along the routes listed below.
South-Central Kentucky (Leg 1)
- KY 63 is a Kentucky Scenic Byway. It runs from Glasgow, Barren County to Tompkinsville, Monroe County.
- KY 163 goes from downtown Tompkinsville to Hestand. It then continues to the Tennessee State line.
Middle Tennessee
- Tennessee State Route 51 (SR 51) covers its whole route south. It starts from the Kentucky state line to Moss, Clay County.
- Tennessee State Route 52 (SR 52) runs from Moss to Celina. It then goes to Livingston (Overton County).
- Tennessee State Route 111 (SR 111) was once called SR 42. It goes from Livingston, through Byrdstown, Pickett County. It ends at the US 127 Junction near Static, Kentucky and Tennessee|Static.
South-Central Kentucky (Leg 2)
- US 127 is in Clinton County. It runs from Static, through Albany, to Snow.
- KY 90 goes from Snow through Burkesville (Cumberland County) and Marrowbone. It continues to Summer Shade (Metcalfe County). Then it goes back through Glasgow. It ends at the junction with KY 70 and Interstate 65 (I-65) at Cave City, Kentucky. This is about 5 miles (8 km) before Mammoth Cave National Park.
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