HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (WTVF) — It's a big Kentucky tradition, but organizers say it's actually more popular among people in Tennessee. Every year, a hunt for bargains and cool finds has people hitting the road.
You can travel hundreds of miles and not come across anyone quite like Vickie Stultz. She goes by;
"The sock lady," she smiled, sitting at a large folding table covered with stacks of socks. "Obviously, I sell socks."
What made Stultz become the sock lady?
"People have to wear socks. Might as well buy 'em from me."
Can't argue with that.
In traveling those hundreds of miles, you can find California Raisin coin banks, Beetle Bailey salt and pepper shakers, "Jerry Springer: Too Hot For TV" on VHS.
This is Kentucky's 400 Mile Yard Sale. NewsChannel 5 made several stops near downtown Hopkinsville.
"I found a Star Wars Micro Machines set here," said one man looking over a table. "We got Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Darth Vader. Man, those are neat. You never know what you'll find out here. You really don't."
Event organizers said it's hard to know how many yard sale stops there are across Kentucky through Sunday. At least 600 are registered, but there could be about 2,000 of them.
For the many who hit the road in search of something special, Marlon Brown of Let It Sno has them covered.
"I've got the best shaved ice in the world in my unbiased opinion," he laughed before taking a six-pound block of ice and making it into orange shaved ice. "Nothing better on a hot day than a good snow cone."
Along with the unique, some find things from history, things with a story.
"This is a World War I panoramic photograph of an all-Black unit," said one man, showing a picture at his yard sale site.
Many will tell you, that this isn't just about things, it's also about the people you meet.
"The people. I love the people here," said Stultz. "You just become friends. You say, 'Hey. I know you.'"
"I absolutely love it," Brown added. "You see people of all different ages, ethnicities, everything."
For a few days this special, the sock lady said it's worth traveling those miles. She wouldn't miss it.
"Not unless the Lord calls me home," Stultz smiled.
The 400 Mile Yard Sale runs through Sunday. To see the list of sites, visit here.
