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Car show, parade, tournaments part of Warden Community Days

CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 2 months AGO
by CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | August 28, 2023 1:00 AM

WARDEN — A community dinner, a parade, a beanbag tournament and a show full of cool cars are among the events scheduled for Community Days, scheduled for Labor Day weekend in Warden.

This is the second year for the revived Community Days, and events are spread throughout the weekend rather than concentrated on one day.

The car show kicks off the weekend Saturday morning at Warden Volunteer Park, 300 E. Fourth St. Cars will be on display from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Renay Jorgensen of the Community Days committee said car owners can register their rides from 8 to 10 a.m. Entry forms are available on the Warden Community Days webpage.

Local musicians will be performing live during the car show, and live entertainment is scheduled for most weekend events.

The Community Days committee will be selling hamburgers during the car show as a fundraiser, Jorgensen said, and the football boosters will be selling drinks.

The community dinner is scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sunday in the park, and returns for its second year. Dinner is free.

“It’s something that we donated to the community,” Jorgensen said.

The hamburgers are being donated by Agri Beef, and the french fries by Simplot. Jorgensen said dinner drew about 150-200 people in 2022 and the organizers expect it to grow in 2023.

Monday kicks off with the annual pancake breakfast sponsored by Grant County Fire District 4; the pancakes will be ready at 6:30 a.m. and will be served at the fire station, 114 S. Oak Ave. Breakfast is free.

“That is a 40-year tradition,” Jorgensen said.

The WHS volleyball boosters will sponsor a volleyball tournament beginning at 8 a.m. in the southeast corner of the park. The tournament will have two divisions for 2023, one for recreational teams and another for competitive teams. Registration is open through Sept. 1; prospective teams can find more information on the Community Days webpage or social media.

The annual Community Days parade is scheduled for 11 a.m.; judging begins at 9:30 a.m., and all parade participants who want to be judged must be in line. Rick and Ann Bowers are the parade grand marshals. An entry form is available on the webpage.

Signups for the beanbag tournament are at 1 p.m. in the park, with competition beginning at 2 p.m. Entertainment is scheduled throughout the afternoon.

The fire department will be sponsoring a “water fight” at 1:30 p.m. in the park.

The committee is looking for volunteers to help with setting up and tearing down, people to work the concessions and help with events.

“We always need volunteers,” Jorgensen said. “That’s been one of our toughest challenges, is volunteers.”

People who want to volunteer can contact Jorgensen through the Community Days website and its social media.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at [email protected].

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COURTESY PHOTO/RENAY JORGENSEN

Rick and Ann Bowers, center, are the grand marshals for the 2023 Warden Community Days parade.

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FILE PHOTO

A team keeps the ball in play during the 2022 Warden Community Days volleyball tournament. Community Days 2023 is Labor Day weekend.

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File photo

Children line up during the 2022 Community Days parade, waiting for floats and fire trucks and horses – and goodies – to come down the street.

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COURTESY PHOTO/RENAY JORGENSEN

The 2022 Community Days car show filled the park lawn with cool rides.

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File photo

A vintage Grant County Fire District 4 truck makes its way down the Community Days parade route in 2022.

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