Nicole Rime helped serve up samples of beers from Waconia Brewing Company during the Made In Minnesota Craft Beer and Wine Festival in Marshall. Organizers said the event drew 31 breweries and wineries, and more than 300 visitors.

MARSHALL — It was a good day to relax, and enjoy a beverage with friends. And hundreds of people were doing just that during the Made In Minnesota Craft Beer and Wine Festival.

“It’s fun. It’s a good time,” said Jessica Rodriguez, one of the festival attendees at the Red Baron Arena and Expo on Saturday afternoon.

Rodriguez and Tina Phongsavath said they had heard about the festival and traveled from Sioux Falls to attend. They were having fun with it too. Both women were wearing big necklaces strung with pretzels, jerky sticks, bags of chips and more – just about every snack you could think of to pair with a beer.

The Made In Minnesota festival made its return this weekend, with a total of 31 Minnesota breweries and wineries serving samples at the event. The festival has been a highly anticipated event for visitors, said Visit Marshall director Cassi Weiss.

“People are always asking us when it is for the next year,” Weiss said.

The festival was drawing a good crowd on Saturday afternoon, she said. A total of 350 tickets were sold for the event. Visitors could sample a wide variety of beers and wines from across Minnesota.

“It’s pretty much the whole state,” Weiss said. There were booths representing craft breweries from Marshall and Montevideo, all the way to the Twin Cities.

Weiss said there were also more wineries and vineyards represented than at previous years’ festivals.

“I think people are excited to see the expansion of wineries,” she said. Bringing more wineries in alongside craft breweries meant there would be plenty to enjoy, even for people who didn’t prefer beer.

Painted Prairie Vineyard, from Currie, was at the festival for the first time this year, said Karrie Scholtes. Painted Prairie sells its wines at Tall Grass Liquor in Marshall, and Tall Grass invited them to have a booth at the festival.

“We thought it would be a great opportunity,” Scholtes said. “It gives people a chance to try the wines.”

The atmosphere at the festival was fun for visitors and vendors alike. Weiss said Push Play Entertainment provided music for the event, and Bluepeak provided games that visitors could play while enjoying the festival.

Tim Tupy, founder of Mankato Brewery, said he made sure to come work at the Made In Minnesota festival each year.

“I’ve done every one of these,” he said. “It’s a really good event.”

In addition to craft breweries, members of SMASH, the Southwest Minnesota Academic Society of Homebrewers, were also sharing their own varieties of beer with the crowd. Julie Stuedemann and Mitch Bonnstetter said group members had planned ahead to brew a selection of beers for the festival, from light to dark varieties.

Visitors also seemed to be interested in trying a variety of different beers from the sample cart, Stuedemann said. “It’s nice to see people enjoying that,” she said.