LEE COUNTY — The economy and gas prices are rough this year.  The Illinois Chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association is here to help. The all-volunteer organization is hosting its second annual Lincoln Highway Buy-Way, a yard sale in communities across the state, beginning on Friday, Aug. 8 through Saturday Aug. 9. 

Anyone along or close to the Lincoln Highway is welcome to have a yard sale, a garage sale, church rummage sale, and/or business sidewalk sale. Organizations are invited to have bake sales, car washes, or whatever else they would like to arrange. Homeowners and businesses with frontage along the Lincoln Highway are welcome to invite groups to use their space. 

Shoppers win when they find bargains and sellers win when they make some extra money.  Everybody wins.

This year, the Illinois Lincoln Highway Association slashed the price on yard sale signs and increased the number of free services compared to last year’s event. Yard sale signs will be $8.  Those purchasing a sign who include a street address will be advertised with GPS coordinates and maps, which are new free services for this year. Yard sale signs will be available at the Lincoln Highway Association National Tourism Headquarters, 136 N. Elm St., Franklin Grove, or through mail order, go to:  http://illinoislincolnhighway.tripod.com/yardsale.html and print a form to mail.  Participants may order T-shirts for prices lower than last year at:  www.cafepress.com/lincolnhighway. 

The Lincoln Highway Buy-Way originated in 2005 across Ohio, then Indiana joined in 2006.  Illinois and West Virginia joined in 2007.  For 2008, Iowa will host a Motor Tour of antique and modern cars across the entire state.  Altogether, there will be simultaneous activities along the Lincoln Highway across five states, spanning 946 miles!  Begun in 1913, the Lincoln Highway was the first coast-to-coast improved highway.  It begins in Times Square, New York City and ends near the Golden Gate Bridge, in San Francisco. In Illinois, it passes through cities such as Chicago Heights, Matteson, Frankfort, New Lenox, Joliet, Plainfield, Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, Maple Park, Cortland, DeKalb, Malta, Creston, Rochelle, Ashton, Franklin Grove, Dixon, Sterling, Morrison, and Fulton. 

For more information, visit: http://illinoislincolnhighway.tripod.com/yardsale.html, contact Kay Shelton, State Director, Illinois Lincoln Highway Association at: lincolnhighway2010@yahoo.com, 815-748-7211, or call the National Tourism Headquarters at:  815-456-3030.