WARDEN — If you happen to have an inflatable costume – maybe a T-rex, or a cow, or a cartoon character – sitting around in the closet, Monday will be the perfect time to unearth it and try it on. Warden Community Days is introducing an inflatable costume race to the Labor Day festivities this year. 

“Basically, you put on these inflatable costumes and run through a small obstacle course,” said Renay Jorgensen, chair of the committee that organizes Warden’s annual festival. “One of the gals that I work with actually ordered a flying eagle costume … My boys had a bull rider costume.” 

Warden Community Days is a local tradition for Labor Day weekend, starting with a car show on Saturday. On Sunday, the Community Days committee will serve up hamburgers made with beef donated by AgriBeef and Simplot will supply hot french fries for a free community dinner. Singer Anjelina Kittrell, a Warden High School alumna, will perform at the car show and the dinner, Jorgensen said, as will Anything Goes. 

Monday begins with the Community Days Parade at 11 a.m., starting at First Street and Ash Avenue. The parade will go down Ash, turn right on Sixth Street and again on Main Street, and finish up at First and Main. 

Grand marshals for this year’s parade are John and Helen Preston, according to a post on the Warden Community Days social media page.  

The inflatable race, plus stick horse races for the children, will follow the parade at 11:30 a.m., and in turn will be followed by a performance by the Bubble Fairy. There will be musical entertainment from Kittrell, Amariah Pruneda, Folclórica and Banda Plebilloz, according to the committee. The Seattle Cossacks motorcycle drill team will perform as well. 

Warden Community Days traditionally includes a volleyball tournament, Jorgensen said. That will begin first thing in the morning and go all day, she said. 

“So far there's three teams, but a lot of teams will wait until the day of to sign up,” Jorgensen said. “Usually there's about nine-plus teams.” 

There will also be a bean bag toss tournament, and this year the committee has introduced a 3-on-3 basketball tournament. 

This year’s festival is a little bittersweet for Jorgensen, she said, as she’s stepping down from heading the committee. 

“It's really important to get new ideas,” she said. “Sometimes if you get somebody that's in there for years and years and years, you don't want it to get stale.” 

Warden Community Days 

Aug. 30-Sept. 1 

Volunteer Park 

    Children try to catch oversized bubbles at Warden Park at the Warden Community Days last year. The Bubble Fairy will return this year on Labor Day.
  

    The Seattle Cossacks will defy gravity on wheels at Warden Community Days.
  

    Warden High School cheerleaders perform on the streets of Warden during last year’s Community Days Parade.
  

    Volunteers grill burgers at last year’s Warden Community Days. Almost everything that goes into the festival is donated and done by volunteers.