Cookies, cute pet photos and more than 40 local vendors will help area residents get the holiday shopping season started on Saturday.

The Journal-World is hosting its annual Holiday Shopping Fest from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Crown Automotive, 3430 Iowa St. The event once again will serve as a fundraiser for the Lawrence Humane Society, which will be charging $25 for people who want to bring their pet to have a photo taken with Santa.

The event also will serve as a chance to taste some of the top Christmas cookies in the area. Cookies from the top three recipes submitted as part of the Journal-World’s Holiday Cookie Bakeoff also will be available for sampling. Attendees will be asked to vote for an overall winner.

Several other food offerings will be available at the festival, including the Torched Goodness food truck, Leeway Franks and Eileen’s Colossal Cookies. More than 40 vendors are scheduled to have booths at the event, including jewelry, arts and crafts, pet products and several others.

The event is free to attend. The Journal-World will run recipes from the winning cookies at the event in its Dec. 6 edition.

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