Thursday, Friday & Saturday – September 7th – 9th

This week, LaSalle Parish will hopefully welcome hundreds, if not thousands, of shoppers from several states as the much-anticipated Sales Along 84 takes place Thursday, Friday and Saturday, September 7-9. All across the parish along U.S. Highway 84, every type of yard sale imaginable will be dotted along the route with many parish residents looking forward to making extra money selling collectibles, antiques, clothes, toys and many other items including an assortment of handmade and handcrafted items. With the addition of Winn Parish, announced last week, the extended yard sale will travel some 110 miles, from the Winn-Natchitoches parish line, through Winn, LaSalle, Catahoula and Concordia parishes, ending at the Mississippi River Bridge in Vidalia. Founder and event organizer Lavelle Evans of Whitehall is excited about the event and is looking forward to showcasing his home parish during the three-day event.

“While I’m thankful for the participation of our neighboring parishes, I really can’t wait for visitors to experience the very best people in the south, who are right here in LaSalle,” Evans said. “There is not a doubt in my mind that those who shop with us are going to encounter some of the most hospitable people they have ever While having a large assortment of yard sales and with all types of items for shoppers to pillage through is crucial for the event’s success, Evans said the real success of Sales Along 84 will be determined by the way people are treated when they stop at the various vendor locations.

“We want them to leave LaSalle Parish saying, ‘that was the most friendliest place I’ve ever been,’” he said. “So, whether you are operating a small yard sale in your lawn or a business welcoming people along the route, let’s go out of our way to make people feel right at home.”

If anyone in the parish is participating in the sale, organizers ask that you place yellow balloons beside the highway to indicate you are a part of Sales Along 84.

“If your sale is located off the highway, make sure you place balloons and signs beside 84 making it clear where your location is,” Evans said. “Signs can be important also, especially if you are offering something special like handmade items, antiques or things not normally found a yard sales.”

The Sales Along 84 event will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday, September 7, 8 and 9. The sales will begin by 8 a.m. (although vendors can open earlier if they choose) and must stay open until 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday.

“It’s very important that we all work together to open by 8 and stay open until the designated times each day,” he continued. “The people that are coming are depending upon us to be true to our word on ‘open’ times, as often they have a schedule, trying to get to as many locations as possible each day.”

Most all area businesses located on or near Highway 84 are participating in the event. Many are offering special sales and actually putting items out in front of their businesses to attract customers.

“And we are so thankful to our restaurants, motels and others who are staying open later than their normal hours to accommodate the visitors,” Evans said. “When people come in, they are also going to eat and do other things. We are anticipating a major economic impact in all facets.”

LaSalle Sheriff Scott Franklin also reminded residents to be mindful of visitors while traveling the highway.

“Not only do we want this event to be successful for all of our local vendors and businesses, but we also want this to be a safe and accident-free week as well,” the sheriff said. “While we travel these roads every day, we will likely have people coming in from out of state who have never been here before and they are not used to certain areas and driving habits like we are.”

The Sheriff encouraged parish residents to be respectful with the visitors while operating vehicles in the parish and also to be careful about locations of sales.

“Just be mindful of where you set up and make sure you leave space for vehicles to park so they are not parking on the shoulder or even in the highway,” he said. “We want this to be a safe event for everyone so please be careful when driving near sale locations and watch for vehicles pulling out onto the highway.”

Although the Sheriff doesn’t anticipate any problems from the event or visitors, he encouraged anyone who sees anything suspicious to contact the sheriff’s office.

“We are hoping this is the beginning of something big for LaSalle Parish,” the sheriff concluded.

For more information, check out the Sales Along 84 Facebook page or contact Evans at (318) 316-0781.