(File photo) Newspaper employees will be selling packs of holiday ad inserts Wednesday in the side parking lot of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, 519 Juliana St. in downtown Parkersburg.

PARKERSBURG — The traditional kickoff to the Christmas shopping season is the day after Thanksgiving, but people don’t have to wait that long to start planning.

Wednesday’s editions of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel and The Marietta Times will include ads for a variety of retailers for Black Friday. Those who don’t subscribe to the papers, or subscribers looking for extra copies, can pick up bundles from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Bundles including inserts from both the News and Sentinel and Times will be available for $5 in the side parking lot of the News and Sentinel building at 519 Juliana St. in downtown Parkersburg.

“We’re glad to continue this tradition for our readers and give them a head start on their holiday shopping,” said Lisa Northcraft, advertising manager for the newspapers.

As a reminder, neither paper will publish an edition on Thanksgiving Day, just like the other major holidays of Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day.

The newsroom will remain staffed on the day before and the holiday itself. Event and breaking news coverage, along with local sports and obituaries, will still be handled and appear on our websites on the holiday mornings and in print the day after.

Readers who have not linked their newspaper subscription to the website and e-edition can do so by clicking the Today’s Newspaper link at the top of newsandsentinel.com or mariettatimes.com. From there they will be guided through the validating process.