Forty-Three Miles of Somebody Else’s Stuff
By Culpeper HQ ·
Stephen Found entered our lives through the estate sale he held after West Park Gardens sold. That is exactly the sort of doorway Malinda is likely to walk through. Give her a room full of things looking for a second life, and she will happily investigate every table, drawer and cardboard box.
Which brings us neatly to the [21st Annual Route 11 Yard Crawl](https://www.shenandoahcountychamber.com/Rt-11-Yard-Crawl).
On Saturday, August 8, Old Valley Pike will become 43-plus miles of folding tables, open trunks and handwritten price stickers. The crawl begins at 7 a.m. and stretches along Route 11 from New Market to Stephens City, passing through Mount Jackson, Edinburg, Woodstock, Toms Brook, Strasburg and Middletown along the way.
It is less a yard sale than a temporary civilization built around the belief that somebody, somewhere, needs your extra crockpot.
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There is no admission, no official starting point and no reasonable expectation that you will see it all. Hundreds of homeowners, churches, schools and businesses participate, along with larger vendor hubs scattered throughout the route. [Laurel Ridge Community College](https://laurelridge.edu/event/route-11-yard-crawl/) in Middletown, for example, has filled its available spaces and expects more than 100 vendors from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For Culpeper bargain hunters, New Market is the closest end of the crawl, roughly an hour and 15 minutes away, so starting there and working north makes the most sense. If 43 miles of bargain hunting sounds ambitious, choose a section instead. New Market, Mount Jackson and Woodstock would make a fine southern run. Strasburg, Middletown and Stephens City (no relation to Stephen Found) cover the northern end.
I-81 runs roughly parallel to Route 11, so if a stretch thins out, or the clock gets away from you, you can hop on the interstate and rejoin the crawl near the next town. This is useful when your passenger has already said “one more stop” six times.
The experienced shopper will bring cash, preferably small bills, along with water, comfortable shoes and enough room in the vehicle for the chair nobody planned to buy. A tape measure is not a bad idea, either. “I think it will fit” has stranded many a piece of furniture beside many a hatchback.
Traffic will be slow in places. Watch for pedestrians, pull completely off the road before parking and do not block driveways. This is a treasure hunt, not a reason to become part of a traffic report.
The best strategy is to start early, stop when something catches your eye and accept that the real attraction is not knowing what waits at the next table. It may be old cast iron, a box of records, a lamp shaped like a pheasant or something Malinda will assure me “just needs a little work.”
And that is why the Route 11 Yard Crawl is worth the drive. You probably will not find what you set out looking for.
You may find something better.