R-M staff
Visitors and residents will be out in full force along Route 61 Labor Day weekend in search of bargains at the 61-Mile Yard Sale from Bloomsdale to Jackson, Mo., but MoDOT wants you to remember the greatest savings of the event could be a life.
“It’s a fun weekend that people look forward to each year,” says Traffic Engineer Craig Compas, “but we want people to remember that there’s more traffic and more congestion along Route 61 this weekend than any other and drivers need to keep that in mind.”
MoDOT will do its part to bring the safety message to the forefront. Message boards will be in place along the route to alert drivers of the unusual traffic patterns and promote safe driving.
“We really want drivers to be alert—to be aware of their surroundings, to be aware of sudden stops and to look for pedestrian traffic,” Compas says. “It’s a big event locally, and we want everyone to enjoy themselves and be as safe as possible.”
For more information, contact Compas at (573) 472-5310 or call MoDOT’s Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636).
The Perry County Health Department issued a friendly reminder considering this weekend’s event. “With the Highway 61 yard sale occurring this weekend, that any individual that sells potentially hazardous food items to the public is considered a food establishment and may be subject to inspection under the Missouri Food Code. If there are any individuals planning on selling food items during the Highway 61 Yard Sale event, please contact the Perry County Health Department at 573-547-6564 to speak with one of our environmental staff. Potentially hazardous foods are any food items that contain milk or milk products, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, crustacean, or other ingredients in a form capable of supporting rapid and progressive growth of harmful microorganisms.
However, Missouri laws/rules generally exempt the following types of sales from inspection: -prepackaged manufactured foods that are not potentially hazardous. -whole, uncut fruits and vegetables. -baked goods -those operated by an established nonprofit organization as a fundraising event.”
