Photo by Deb Gau Rebecca Klehr and Moo Paw picked up plates of food from the Hitching Post booth at Monday’s Taste of Marshall event at the Red Baron Arena. More than 500 people sampled food and beverages from a wide variety of restaurants, bakers and more.

MARSHALL — There were a lot of folks waiting to get a ‘Taste of Marshall’ on Monday. As the doors to the annual event opened, the line of people snaked back and forth across the lobby at the Red Baron Arena and Expo.

Inside the expo, the crowd spread out to visit area food vendors, ranging from restaurants to food trucks and home bakeries.

“I want to try everything,” said Rebecca Klehr. Klehr and Moo Paw had each gotten small plates of food from the Hitching Post, and were scoping out other vendor offerings. Klehr said it was her first time attending Taste of Marshall, but she had friends giving her recommendations. “They’re telling me, ‘This is what we’ve gotta try.”

A total of 530 tickets were sold for this year’s Taste of Marshall event, organizers said. Tickets were limited to that number to help vendors plan for the event, said Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce president Brad Gruhot.

It was good to see strong attendance at the event this year, Gruhot said. “There’s a very diverse group of vendors, too.” Some of the vendors giving samples included food truck businesses, which have grown in popularity in recent years.

There were also some new home bakery businesses represented at Taste of Marshall. Bakers like Sarah Jensen, of Little Mill Sourdough Loaves, and Carley Holmberg of Joyful Bites Bakeshop, said it was exciting to be part of the event. Both bakers’ businesses opened within the past year.

“I think this is a great opportunity for transparency with the community,” Holmberg said. Customers got a chance to meet her, and to see the kind of baked treats she could provide. “Cake jars are my thing.”

Meanwhile, Jensen had an array of different sourdough bread varieties to try. She said Taste of Marshall was fun because it gave her a chance to meet potential customers in person, and raise awareness of her business.

“It really broadens my customer base,” she said.