It’s that time of year when the leaves change color and the quiet riverside town of Warrensburg, New York (population 4,000) becomes a bustling marketplace of yard sales, craft fairs, flea market stalls, antique dealers and food trucks. Warrensburg’s World’s Largest Garage Sale returns to town Friday, Oct. 4 and will run through Sunday, Oct. 6, with sales open from dawn to dusk.
What began more than 40 years ago as a way for town residents to clean out their attics and make a few dollars to pay winter heating bills has become an annual festival that draws upwards of 100,000 visitors seeking bargains and fried dough. Main Street primarily hosts vendors selling antiques, crafts and food. The churches in town open their parish halls for bazaars and food sales. Several non-profits set up booths to sell raffle tickets with prizes ranging from handmade quilts to canoes. Along the side streets, shoppers will find dozens upon dozens of traditional yard sales because “one man’s trash…”
The event is organized by the Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce, which offers free parking with a shuttle bus service in and out of the center of town. The Warrensburg Volunteer Fire Department on Elm Street and the Warrensburg Laundry on Richards Avenue are offering paid parking for those who wish to park in the middle of the activity.
Related: Warrensburg’s World’s Largest Garage Sale is more than bargain hunting
Coming from the South, drivers may take I-87, the Adirondack Northway, to Exit 23 to either get into town (take a left off the exit ramp) or take the Diamond Point Road to Schroon River Road (take a right off the exit ramp) to access free parking at the Warren County Fair Grounds. Another option is to take one of the Lake George Exits, 21 or 22, and travel north on State Route 9 into Warrensburg. The second option allows drivers to avoid the inevitable traffic slowdown at Exit 23 and allows a little shopping at sales held on Route 9 between Lake George and Warrensburg.
The Chamber has created a map to guide visitors into town and parking areas.