From pie baking to gopher races, it was certainly a day to remember in Piapot.

The Piapot Lions Cornfest and Turkey Shoot was full of events, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Some of the events included a farmers market and trade show, chainsaw carving by Marina Cole, gopher races (yes, really), youth cookie baking contests, a pie baking contest, and a whole host of fun kids' activities.

Alfred Wakelam, who helped to organize the event, was thrilled with days events that saw a couple of hundred people turn up for the entertainment.

"It actually went really well," said Wakelam. " I'm not quite sure what the attendance was, but we managed to have enough to feed everybody there."

A big draw for the event was the corn on the cob supper at the end of the night, that was served during the beer gardens.

Of course, some of the events aside from the food were certainly a draw of their own. The gopher races were a big crowd pleaser, returning for another year of fast-paced, fuzzy critter lane way racing.

How the gopher race works is they catch the gophers a day or so in advance. On the day of the big race, they are brought out to the race track. The track is a couple of straight, separate columns. Once they are at the race gates, the doors are opened and off they go! The prairie dog dragsters are off down their respective lanes until they reach the catches at the end. When a speedy gopher comes to the finish, he is caught in the catch, which triggers a flag to tip up. Keen observers watch for which gophers flag goes up first, giving them their winner. Only the fastest of Saskatchewan's gopher population can hope to claim first.

As exciting as those races are, they aren't the only adrenalin-fueled events from the Cornfest and Turkey Shoot. Marina Cole, a chainsaw carver from Medicine Hat, was in town showing off her skills. Making art is always a challenge, but using a chainsaw to turn wood into impressions of people, animals, and other sights takes a whole other kind of delicate touch.

"She ended up donating one of her pieces," said Wakelam. "We auctioned two of her pieces off that she'd made."

The money raised by auctioning off those pieces, and the one donated, all went towards the Lions Club, for which the event is both named and fundraising.

Both the youth cookie baking contests saw kids 12 and under and 13 and over attempting to wow judges with their baking prowess. Shortly after they had their turns, it was time for the pies. The pie baking contest saw premade pies arriving, to be auctioned off and judged.

Throughout the day there was live music being performed by Heart of Gold. Classic country and classic rock drifted out over the crowds who had gathered for a fun day of events, making the who thing rife with rhythm.

By the end of the day, 10 turkeys were given away during the turkey shoot. Ten sharpshooters had to be able to hit the target close enough to the centre to claim their thanksgiving dinner main course. They were equipped with small air-powered BB rifles, popping off for the holiday delicacy.

All money raised through these events goes back to the Lions Club of Piapot. At the time this article was written, there was no total amount confirmed yet.