StettlerFest returned to downtown Stettler Aug. 8 with live entertainment, a soapbox derby, Show & Shine, artisan vendors, food and family activities on Historic Main Street.

Historic Main Street was turned into a summer festival Saturday as residents and visitors gathered for the third annual StettlerFest.

The Aug. 8 celebration ran from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and featured live entertainment, food, shopping, family activities and displays throughout downtown Stettler.

Organized through the Stettler Regional Board of Trade and Community Development, StettlerFest is designed to bring people into the downtown core while showcasing local businesses, entertainers, vendors and community organizations.

Two stages provided live entertainment during the afternoon, with performers including Simone Brugman, Julie & Jim and Terry Dortman among those promoted as part of this year's lineup.

One of the festival's returning attractions was the Stettler Soapbox Derby, which gave children ages six to 12 the opportunity to race homemade gravity-powered cars. The event was organized with involvement from BGC Stettler Heartland Youth Centre and the Family Resource Network.

Vehicles of another kind filled the north end of Main Street during the Show & Shine, which featured classic vehicles, custom builds and vintage cars. Admission to the display was free and it ran throughout the main festival hours.

Families could also visit the Touch-a-Truck display, where children were able to get a close look at equipment including fire trucks, tractors and towing vehicles.

An artisan market brought local creators and vendors downtown while businesses throughout Stettler held sidewalk sales and festival promotions. Food trucks and Main Street restaurants added to the day's activities.

The festival also encouraged visitors to explore downtown businesses through the Where's Sunny contest. A StettlerFest bear named Sunny was hidden inside participating businesses, with visitors invited to locate the bear and enter for a chance to win $250 in Heart of Alberta Dollars.

Stettler Crisis Aid operated a community barbecue fundraiser in front of the FCSS office, with proceeds supporting the local community.

StettlerFest has grown into one of the community's summer downtown events, combining entertainment with an effort to encourage residents and visitors to shop, eat and spend time in the town's commercial centre.

Destination Stettler promoted the festival as a celebration of music, food and community spirit in the Heart of Alberta.