It's designed to be a vehicle for purchasing holiday gift items and accessories. The Holiday Bazaar and Cookie Walk at Zion Lutheran Church Leola has come to serve a secondary purpose.

The event seems to put attendees in a Christmas frame of mind just in time for the holidays.

"It brings the community together," said pastor Karen Larson. "People love the cookie walk. Some people look forward to seeing the vendors. But people also enjoy the food and the fellowship. People look forward to this every year."

"There's just a general overall feeling of joy," said church member Patty Williams, who coordinates the bazaar. "People are just enjoying themselves. Some people just enjoy sitting here and having a cup of coffee. I think you feel welcomed and relaxed."

Zion Lutheran will hold its annual Holiday Bazaar and Cookie Walk on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the church, 18 Quarry Road, Leola. The event is free to attend, and all proceeds from the bazaar will go to Lutheran Disaster Response and victims of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

"We try to keep it very festive and fun," said church member Karen Adkins, who helps at the event. "We try to interact with as many people as we can and make sure everyone is having a good time. I think I get more out of it than the people who come. I just think it's a great day for everyone."

The Holiday Bazaar and Cookie Walk will feature about 18 outside vendors and their handmade creations like jewelry, fabric crafts, soaps and bath oils, knitted items, home decor items, paper crafts, key chains, horseradish, primitives and wood crafts.

"I think almost everyone who comes in is buying gifts," said Williams. "They might be looking for something for their homes. They're looking for that something special thing they can't find in a shopping store, maybe items for people who are hard to buy for."

The popular cookie walk consists of visitors filling up boxes with holiday cookies donated by 30 members of the church. The event will also offer bake sale items, a children's area featuring make-and-take crafts and a children's shopping area, door prizes and Christmas tunes from church music director Kurt Benit.

Food available for purchase will include breakfast sandwiches, hot dogs with or without sauerkraut, grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, vegetable soup and chicken corn soup. Some of the food items will be available to take out.

Nearly 400 people are expected to attend. Last year's Holiday Bazaar and Cookie Walk raised more than $2,000 for local charities.

Zion Lutheran hosts a handful of community events throughout the year, including a faith-based movie event before Easter and a Water Slide Day in August, as well as a free community meal at 6 p.m. on the third Friday of every month.

"All of these are for the community, and this holiday bazaar fits in with all of them," said Larson. "Zion is kind of known for these events in the community. They're free to the public and a service to the community. The bazaar is more than buying and gifts; it's about community. I just enjoy meeting people and finding out who people are and where they're from."

For additional information about Zion Lutheran Church Leola, go to http://www.zionleola.org.