Mike Moser "I Say" Published Aug. 8, 2003

Maybe it is time for federal aid

Time to share some thoughts and an idea as the annual August madness that some call the 127 Corridor Sale, others call it the 450 mile Hwy. 127 Corridor Sale, others the World's Longest Yard Sale, winds down.

Some locals have personal pet names they call the event, some of which I probably shouldn't repeat in this family newspaper.

No matter what it is to you, know that by the time you read this the sale that disrupts our daily routines will almost be over for another year.

For those of you who wonder or even care, next year's sale date has been set by our neighbors to the north. The 127 Corridor Sale will be held Aug. 7-15. Just who is in charge these days, I don't know. There is no committee and if you want to speak to the person in charge ... well, best I can determine, the sale runs itself.

It is inarguable that the sale has far exceeded the expectations of those involved in organizing the event. It is a boom to the economy of Crossville, Cumberland County, and the region, and adds to our sales tax collections. It is also a pain in the butt for us who have to travel Hwy. 127 during daily routines. It is a double-edged sword.

So what can we do about turning our major artery into a parking lot for 10 days out of the year? I have a plan, but it will require the assistance of Gov. Phil Bredesen, our U.S. congressional delegation and the president.

We need a disaster declaration.

If Cumberland County could convince Gov. Bredesen that the Corridor Sale is a disaster for those of us who live here, clogging and for brief periods of time shutting down our infrastructure (OK, so it's just the road), then the governor could request a federal disaster declaration from President Bush.

We would immediately qualify for disaster aid assistance and could request funds to build a parallel artery to Hwy. 127 through Cumberland County. We would then leave the road unnamed and unnumbered and request it be left off all future road maps.

OK, so that's a little far-fetched. But desperate times do call for desperate measures.
Some want to stop the sale, others have proposed moving it to fairgrounds along the route. I cannot see either thing happening, but the county commission has got the right idea about permitting vendors in Cumberland County.

Why not? If we are gonna have the annual sale here, why not join in and profit from it, as well? The county can always use the little bit of income and the amount the county can charge, under law, would not be repressive to the vendors.

The only other answer I see to getting some relief is for Cumberland County to declare war on the United States. It wouldn't last long, and then we could compete for the same billions of dollars that will be spent on rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq.

PIE LADY UPDATE
Many have asked about Margaret Sherrill, known during the Corridor Sale week as "The Pie Lady." She and her family are alive and well and busy as bees, cooking up a storm of delicious fried apple pies.

She doesn't want to announce for sure who many individual pies she has made and sold this year, but I am assured by those close to the scene that a day or two ago she topped 2,000 fried apple pies, which doubles her total for the entire sale last year.

And she still has the weekend to go.

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Mike Moser is the editor of the Crossville Chronicle. His column is published periodically on Fridays.