Texas Longest Yard Sale celebrates 10th anniversary

The Texas Longest Yard Sale celebrates its 10th anniversary May 2-4 along U.S. 281 from the Rio Grande Valley to Texas Hill Country.

Yolanda Almaguer, Dripping Springs resident and former owner of Repeat Boutique in Brownsville, got the idea for the annual event after experiencing portions of the 824-mile-long Historic National Road Sale, running from Maryland to Missouri, and the World’s Longest Yard sale, spanning nearly 700 miles Michigan to Alabama.

Almaguer, a veteran yard sale “picker,” thought U.S. 281 would be the perfect corridor for a Texas version. The first one took place the first weekend in May 2015, stretching from Brownsville to Edinburg. The event, essentially a series of second-hand sales at points along the highway, steadily grew in length and participation until the pandemic shut everything down in 2020 and 2021, forcing Almaguer to start from scratch.

As the event’s sole organizer/promoter, she concedes Texas Longest Yard Sale likely would have vanished years ago if it weren’t for her persistence.

Shoppers check out secondhand items at a stop on the Texas Longest Yard Sale last year. This year’s even is scheduled for May 2-4. (Courtesy)

“Every year, I start in January,” Almaguer said. “I start sending emails or Facebook messages to the different cities. Most of the time they don’t answer. I’ll still send it to them. I also post it on my Facebook that we’re looking for other cities to join.”

Last year Three Rivers, George West, Live Oak, Pleasanton and a piece of San Antonio close to 281 were onboard, with the sale stretching north to Johnson City, though Almaguer hasn’t heard from anyone in that community this year. Even if the event isn’t necessary getting longer in a hurry, it continues to grow in substance in terms of the number of people buying and selling, she said.

“Now I have a total of eight subdivisions in the Hill Country,” Almaguer said. “There’s three in San Antonio, one in Bulverde, two in Spring Branch and two in Blanco. They’re big subdivisions. They’re from 300 homes to 500 homes. There’s a lot of activity. For some reason I just can’t get it past Blanco.”

In some cases subdivisions are contacting her about taking part instead of the other way around. One thing is for certain, where “Texas Longest” is alive, people love it — especially in the Valley, she said.

Harlingen Fire Department’s Nick De Gannes works to slide the T-shirt onto his stuffed animal during Harlingen Sunburst Rotary Club-sponsored Build A Comfort Buddy event held at the Elk’s Lodge Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Courtesy)

“I’ve never had a problem in the Valley,” Almaguer said. “People in the Valley really like it.”

A&V Lopez on U.S. 281 in Brownsville has participated every year since the first year, renting out spots to vendors for a nominal fee and running store specials.

The event received some statewide publicity thanks to an article in Texas Highways, which Almaguer credits for a massive increase in views of the Google map she created, with different symbols showing all the subdivisions, individuals homes, and vendors participating.

The first weekend of May usually sees rain in Hill Country, and indeed showers are in the forecast, though she’s praying things don’t exceed a tolerable level of dampness.

If you do head out to U.S. 281 this weekend, you may get lucky and spot Almaguer, wearing her Texas Longest Yard Sale T-shirt, taking photos to promote next year’s event and, perhaps, doing a little picking.

In the early days, when people would call her to ask about making the trip, Almaguer admitted she tried to manage expectations.

“I’d say, look, we’re still growing. We’re still taking baby steps,” she said.

Now baby’s gotten bigger, and Almaguer is more confident about selling it.

“It’s had its challenges, but I feel good,” Almaguer said. “I think it’s gotten there to where it’s become a destination, but we still have a lot of room to grow.”

Check out the event’s Facebook page or call Yolanda Almaguer at (956) 312-1900 for more information.

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