OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Shoppers flooded the aisles of Floral Hall at the annual Lakeshore Humane Society Giant Yard Sale in the first year of early bird sales in 2022. Early bird sales for this year’s event begin Friday at 9 a.m.

Friday morning, an annual event for the past two decades returns to Floral Hall at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds. The 20th annual Giant Yard Sale begins at 9 a.m. to benefit the Lakeshore Humane Society.

Early bird shopping for the event begins Friday at an admission of $3. The event continues throughout the weekend, with regular admission on Saturday and Sunday free of charge. Doors open at 9 a.m. each morning, closing at 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The annual event will also feature a bake sale, basket drawings, hot dog sales and a “Rake in the Bucks” drawing with a rake full of scratch-off lottery tickets.

Early bird shopping was a change that was made in 2022 to entice a crowd after the pandemic, and that change led to a dramatic increase of shoppers at the opening of the event.

“We’ve made a lot of changes to improve what we do to be more efficient,” said Janet Szymanski, a volunteer at Lakeshore Humane Society in 2022. “… We’re going to try to improve what we do every year to make it a better shopping experience for the community.”

The Giant Yard Sale is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Lakeshore Humane Society as the organization seeks to help keep animals safe and healthy as they seek a permanent home. Volunteers are welcomed.

For more information, call the Lakeshore Humane Society at (716) 672-1991 or visit online at lakeshorehumanesociety.org