CORNVILLE — Theresa Blake-Ireland of Oakland already has her calendar marked for May 21-22.

That’s the weekend of the annual 10-mile yard sale down West Ridge Road in Cornville to Malbons Mills Road in Skowhegan.

“I have a daughter and we’ll be looking for anything for her — kid stuff — little wooden puzzles, a table and chair set,” she said. “I never have been there before, so I thought it would be something great to see and in the following years if there’s something that I’m looking for, I’ll know ‘Oh, the 10-mile yard sale might have it’ and I’ll check it out.”

Begun by a handful of neighbors in Cornville 28 years ago, it soon expanded to become known as the 6-mile yard sale. The annual event now draws thousands of people from all over New England and Canada, said event organizer Janet Bernard of Nelson’s Candies on West Ridge Road.

“It’s a very successful weekend for us,” she said. “It’s the busiest weekend of the year. Thousands of people come.”

The Cornville yard sale is a bumper-to-bumper shopping spree on more than 50 lawns, barns and vacant lots that are transformed into one long flea market.

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It runs from Route 150 in Cornville, to U.S. Route 2 by the Kennebec River in Skowhegan — just over 10 miles. Last year the yard sales extended into Athens and to other streets and roads in Skowhegan.

On sale is everything: tractors, toys, antiques, tools, military artifacts, books, games, farm goods, baseball cards clothing and more.

“It’s my junk, but it’s your treasure,” 10-mile veteran Sandra Goodell, who lives along the yard-sale corridor, said two years ago.

Bernard said the closed Cornville Elementary School will be added this year as a vendor location.

Brenda Hogate of the Cornville Building Committee said yard sale prices will be $20 for a table outside and $25 for one inside.

“I would say to expect the same turnout as always — it’s a big weekend for the people down in Skowhegan, as well as Cornville,” Bernard said.

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“It’s going to be just as big as it always has been — it’s the 28th year; we’re already getting phone calls for the last two months from all over; from out on the coast, people from New Hampshire, Canada, Massachusetts, pretty much from everywhere.”

The hours of the yard sales are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Doug Harlow — 474-9534

dharlow@centralmaine.com


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