Bowling Green, Ky.—June 3, 2014—Thousands of shoppers will be flocking to the Bluegrass state this weekend for the 400 Mile Sale, which runs from Maysville down historic highway 68 all the way to Paducah and into Tennessee. Vendors set up their yard sale booths along the highway and will be open Thursday through Sunday.
In previous years, visitors have traveled from more than 500 cities, 36 states and four countries, to the 400 Mile Sale. In its 11th year, the sale this year will bring guests from across the country and provide opportunities to explore Kentucky from a grassroots perspective.
Debby Spencer, one of the organizers, said the sale is one of the best ways to showcase the state’s hidden gems. “It’s our way to get people off the major highways and back onto the old roads into the small communities to spend money and rediscover the many wonderful ‘itty bitty cities’ that make up Kentucky,” Spencer said. “Years ago when the sale was first getting started, one of the main reasons it was put together was for people stop in the lesser known spots across the state.”
Several buses from nearby states are bringing large groups of buyers. “Buses are traveling here from as far away as Pennsylvania, Iowa and West Virginia,” Vicki Fitch, Executive Director of the Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, said. “All of these bus groups will be overnighting in Bowling Green for a day during the sale and will get a taste of our hospitality when they visit our attractions, eat at our restaurants and lodge in our hotels.”
Spencer said recurring visitors and bargain hunters make up most of the yard sale traffic. “People come from all over. There’s a family from Japan who have been planning their holidays around the sale for years,” Spencer said. “There’s even a bus tour planning to come back to Kentucky for another visit after the sale because the group wants to spend more time visiting the attractions they missed along the route while they were too busy shopping the first time.”
Booths will be set up along historic highway 68/80 in the Bowling Green area. For further information regarding vendor locations along the highway, things to do, places to eat and lodging along the way, please visit http://400mile.com/.
More specific information on the Bowling Green area can also be found by calling the Bowling Green Area CVB at 270-782-0800.
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Telia Butler, PR Coordinator, Bowling Green Area CVB
270-782-0800; telia@visitbgky.com