The eighth-annual Taste of Maple Creek kicked off Saturday with food, free concerts, a classic car show, and more.

The event was put on by the Maple Creek Main Street program, who put on the event to highlight the tourist attractions of the town.

The event showcases everything that makes Maple Creek such a hotspot for culture and community, said Royce Pettyjohn, Mainstreet program co-coordinator of Maple Creek.

"We were pleased to be able to showcase ten of our local restaurant tours, and the objective of the Taste of Maple Creek is to get people to get people into the downtown core, see what Maple Creek has to offer, and then sample some of Maple Creek's culinary best from our local chefs and our bakers, and promote Maple Creek as a culinary tourism destination."

Festivities kicked off early in the morning ebbing the public's appetite for the food yet to come later in the day.

The "Fly-In Breakfast" event fittingly took place at the town's airstrip, offering an all you can eat meal complete with pancakes, sausages, eggs, and fruit.

An opportunity to experience all of the town's culinary diversity presented in the form of a unique taste-testing system.

The Town was selling $2 tickets that attendees could trade in for samples from local restaurants.

About 7,000 tickets were sold to the public at this year's event, up about 2,000 from last year's expose.

Pettyjohn said that they were not expecting such a substantial increase in attendance, but the vendors managed to keep up with the demand.

"You know, it was wonderful that we had that many people and sold that many tickets, it was a little unexpected so as a result, some of the food vendors were struggling to keep up with the demand, but all in all, the feedback that we received by large from the public was all very positive."

The proceeds from the showcase of the Town's foodstuff all went back to the vendors who accumulate tickets.

While the myriad of food options were being consumed, a short distance away the Creek Classics Show 'N' Shine was in full swing.

The collection of cars was the largest to ever be in attendance at the event.

Aiming to present a well-rounded example of Maple Creek's culture, three provincial musical artists presented a free concert while event-goers enjoyed the food and cars.

And the final goal of the event was to showcase the small-town, close-knit community feel of the municipality of 2,000, by hosting a BBQ, as well as the Movie at Dusk, presented on an inflatable screen.