Prom can be a special night for many high school students, but for many students in Carter County, the cost alone may be too much a deterrent. At Hampton High School, however, this barrier can be overcome.

Hampton High School is preparing for their annual Senior Yard Sale, and this year, they said it will be bigger than ever.

Tracie Shelton and Amy Banner, teachers at Hampton, said they have lost track of how long they have been doing this event.

“I did one years ago for our yearbook,” Banner said.

After that, she said she thought it would make for a good fundraiser for the senior class.

The yard sale serves as a way for the senior class to raise money to help as many students as possible attend prom, especially those who normally could not afford to go.

“It is a blessing for the seniors,” class president Brody Deloach said. “We can make it to where they can go to prom for almost free.”

It is not just students who get emotionally invested in the fundraiser. Residents from Carter County and beyond come to donate items for the class to sell, and Banner said they almost always get trucks of stuff to sell the morning of the yard sale.

“People from Johnson City show up because they saw it on the news,” Shelton said. “One anonymous man showed up randomly and donated $200.”

They said literally anything and everything can appear at the sale, and anything they do not sell they end up donating to other organizations in the area, such as Red Legacy Recovery.

Banner said they love seeing the level of community support they receive every year.

“People start asking about it in February,” she said. “We want to thank Meadowview Convention Center for hosting us every year.”

Deloach said they enjoy interacting with the community with projects like this.

“We want to thank everyone who comes out,” he said. “This gives many students the opportunity to come to prom.”

The yard sale will take place in the Hampton High School gym, located at 766 1st Avenue in Hampton. They said the sale will start at 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, and they currently plan to end at around 7 p.m., though they may run later. They also plan to be open Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 or 3 p.m., and will possibly be open Sunday as well.