Route 11 Yard Crawl celebrates two decades of bargain hunting

WOODSTOCK — The Route 11 Yard Crawl returns this weekend, drawing in bargain hunters from across the East Coast and beyond, as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.

“I can’t believe it’s been 20 years,” said Susie Hill, one of the original organizers who helped launch the crawl in 2005, after encouraging the then five chambers of commerce across Shenandoah County to join forces in a countywide activity.

“Somebody in the meeting said, ‘Why don’t we have a countywide yard sale?” Hill recalled. “And it’s kind of like the rest is history.”

The roughly 43-mile yard crawl runs from Stephens City in Frederick County to New Market in Shenandoah County, and shoppers can start anywhere the like along Route 11 (Valley Pike). The sale officially begins at 7 a.m. Saturday, although vendors set up earl