WARDEN — A good chunk of Warden was in the park early Monday afternoon because the park is the place to be during the town celebration. Community Days featured a parade down Main Street and games, food and fun in the park.

Kids were playing in the bouncy house (sponsored by the Warden Lions), and a volunteer made balloon animals. And balloon swords, which prompted many a sword fight around the park.

And of course there was food, pork tacos from the Heat, a club softball team, and barbecued pork from the Lions. There were craft and other food booths, a deejay, canned string and a lot of conversations, from one end of the park to the other.

Current Lions president and Warden mayor Tony Massa was the pitmaster for the pulled pork; Massa’s smoker – and it’s a serious piece of equipment – was running all night, he said. Volunteer Byron Starkey was in charge of the deep fryer. “Great example of community service, right there,” said Jill Massa, who was helping out at the Lions booth. Starkey has a respiratory disorder, and must use an oxygen concentrator. But that didn’t stop him.

The pork tacos were the inspiration of moms of players on the Heat girls softball team; many of the players are from Warden, said coach Randy Wright. The team sold tacos at a tournament earlier this summer and they were a hit, Wright said. Both the taco booth and the barbecued pork wagon had long lines.

The parade was led by officers of the Warden Police Department, and trucks from Grant County Fire District No. 4 brought up the rear. In between there were 4-H clubs, the Warden High School football and girls soccer teams, youth groups, Warden School District teachers, rodeo queens, WHS cheerleaders, the WHS band, beauty queens, political candidates and candy.