COVINGTON — Yard sale enthusiasts from New York to California converged Thursday for the 16th annual event billed as “the world's largest outdoor sale.”

        “I've had customers from as far away as Canada,” vendor James Miracle said. For the start of the four-day sale Thursday, the 55-year-old Lebanon factory worker peddled everything from turn-of-the-century glassware to 50-year-old toys as an HGTV crew filmed in front of his booth in Covington's MainStrasse Village.

IF YOU GO

What: The World's Longest Outdoor Sale    When: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. through Sunday    Where: Begins in Covington's MainStrasse Village and extends along U.S. 127 (also Dixie Highway and U.S. 42), through much of Kentucky and Tennessee to Lookout Mountain Parkway in Chattanooga, Tenn. From there, signs direct shoppers to Gadsden, Ala.    Northern Kentucky restrictions: Anyone can be a vendor. In Covington you can set up your own tables along the Sixth Street islands. Tables must be taken down nightly; and spots are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The MainStrasse Village Association holds permits for the sale; no fees are required.    Traffic: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet advises motorists to wear seatbelts, drive slowly, avoid tailgating, not make U-turns and avoid parking on the shoulder.    Web site: For information on the sale's history, route, parking and traffic trouble spots along U.S. 127 in Kentucky and Tennessee, check the sale's Web site at www.127sale.com.    Information: Call the MainStrasse Village Association at (859) 491-0458.

        “One couple from Platteville, Wis., drove all day yesterday after they heard about the sale,” he said.

        In Covington, the sale featured an eclectic mix — from costume jewelry to Beanie Babies, old lunch boxes to airline seats.

        Twenty-five years after Elvis Presley's death, items featuring the rock 'n' roll great also were selling briskly.

        “We love yard sales,” said John Gilbert, 54, of Toledo, who was looking for bargains in MainStrasse Village. “Every Saturday morning, my daughter gets me up, and we go to all of the garage sales.”

        Wednesday, the 54-year-old customer service manager; his wife, Helen, 52; and daughter, Elizabeth, 20, drove to Northern Kentucky for the 450-mile event that extends from Covington to Gadsden, Ala., along the U.S. 127 corridor (also known as Dixie Highway, U.S. 25 and U.S. 42 in Northern Kentucky).

        The sale runs through Sunday, but after bargain hunters complained of the difficulty of shopping a 450-mile route in four days, organizers said they'll extend next year's sale to nine days — Aug. 2-10.

        “We're going to see how far we can get,” Mr. Gilbert said.

        “When they extend the sale next year, we're planning on scheduling our vacation for the whole week.”

        In Northern Kentucky, the sale is concentrated mostly along the Sixth Street islands in Covington's MainStrasse. From there, the next major cluster of booths is along U.S. 42 in Union. On Thursday a sandwich board sign in front of Joanne's Cakes & Catering in Union advertised “coffee, pastries, lunch specials and antiques to go.”

        In 1987 the event was started by Fentress County, Tenn., officials as a way to lure visitors off the main thoroughfares into small Southern towns. Since then, the event has drawn thousands from across the United States as well as international visitors from as far as Japan.

        For folks like Sue Stephens, the sale is a great excuse to clean out closets.

        On Thursday, the 49-year-old Erlanger grandmother set out five boxes of clothing that her granddaughters had outgrown.

        “We're moving, and I don't want to take all this stuff with us,” Ms. Stephens said. “When I heard about the sale last week, I decided it was time to do some cleaning.”

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