Vinton County countywide yard sale returns June 7

Drivers and bargain hunters will head onto Vinton County backroads Saturday, June 7, as Treasures in the Hills returns as the county’s annual countywide yard sale. The sale will turn farm lanes, porches and driveways into temporary storefronts, with antiques, collectibles, clothes, toys and tools among the items likely to surface.

Discover Vinton County, the county’s visitors center and tourism office, is using the event as more than a one-day shopping trip. The agency says tourism in Vinton County has been on the rise and wants residents to feel valued and connected while also welcoming visitors into the county’s rural corners. That makes the yard sale part of a larger tourism push, not just a seasonal cleanup.

The practical impact is easy to see in a county as small as Vinton. The 2020 census counted 12,800 residents, and Vinton County remains Ohio’s least populous county. In a place that size, a coordinated sale can spread money across local households, pull shoppers into McArthur and surrounding communities, and create a modest burst of traffic for sellers who may not otherwise see many customers.

Organizers have previously said the event featured dozens of yard sales in McArthur and around the county. In a recent year, official guides with maps and bingo cards were available beginning the Monday before the Saturday sale at the Vinton County Department of Tourism office, 104 W. Main St. in McArthur. That same office remains the hub for the countywide event, reinforcing McArthur’s role as the county seat and the starting point for many shoppers heading out to explore.

The sale also fits the region’s travel identity. Discover Vinton County places the event in the Hocking Hills region, where scenic driving and rural tourism already draw visitors looking for quiet roads and low-cost outings. In prior years, local lodging partners tied into the sale with discounted weekend stays, including the Shea Farmhouse and the Dunkle Schoolhouse, and some businesses offered discounted breakfast and lunch for shoppers.

For Vinton County, Treasures in the Hills works because it is simple, local and useful. It gives residents a chance to clear out barns and garages, gives buyers a reason to spend a day on the backroads, and gives the county another way to keep visitors circulating through its towns and neighborhoods.