Organizers say 2014 road market a huge success!

Organizers of the inaugural US-21 yard sale say the multistate, 70-mile long event was a great success.

Dubbed, “The US-21 Road Market Sale,” tourism leaders throughout western North Carolina and Virginia say the event required months of planning and involved the cooperation of dozens of local leaders from at least eight different localities.
“The yard sale was a huge success. Putting the event on didn’t cost any money, but took a lot of work from a lot of different people,” said D.W. Miles, founder of the yard sale’s flagship organization, “Take a Break from the Interstate.”

Tourism leaders in Wythe County say they counted at least sixty-four different households participating in the road market sale, in their county alone.
“Not only did this weekend’s yard sale allow the county an opportunity to market itself to out-of-state travelers, but it also provided residents along Grayson Turnpike with a sense of community,” said Jeremy T.K. Farley, Wythe County’s interim tourism director.

Miles agreed, saying the road market event showcased historic US-21, a road that was at one time the premier route for travelers from northern states en route to the beach.
“The traffic was a non-stop, continuous flow from Wytheville to Jonesville,” said Miles, who added, “We want to make US-21 a destination. There are just so many beautiful sights and it belongs to the people — all the state parks and national forest land along the way — it’s just a special road.”
Miles said his organization intends to promote the +70-mile yard sale on the last weekend of July, every year.

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