'Summer Magic' coming to Warden this Labor Day
Community Days event is long-standing tradition
WARDEN — Organizers hope "Summer Magic" will make its way into the streets of Warden this weekend.
That's the theme for this year's three-day Community Days festival, with a demolition derby, raft race, Colgate Country Showdown performances, parade and car show all bringing their magic into the Warden area over Labor Day weekend.
"It's kind of the end of the summer and it's kind of a magical time for us," event organizer Bonnie Rettkowski said.
The fun starts Saturday with rough and tumble action at the Warden Racing Arena for the demolition derby. Gates for the derby open at 2 p.m. with time trials at 4 p.m. and the start of racing at 5 p.m. The event is one Shawn Clausen has called action-packed.
"There's not much downtime," Clausen said, "There's great racing in Warden."
Entrance to the event will be $8 for adults and $5 for children ages 15 and under and will also feature a beer garden for spectators. The cost to enter the derby is $25 to race or smash your car, or $10 for the Australian pursuit.
Sunday will be the day for car buffs and raft racers in Warden, as the town's first annual car show will grace main street and the second annual raft race will float entrants down the Lind Coulee.
The Warden Summer Magic Car Show is being organized by a few local car buffs wanting to bring the attraction to Warden. Car show organizer Gordon Edwards said the show will include a poker walk, show-and-shine and slow drags along the north end of Main Street.
"We've never had one, and there's a lot of people interested in it," Edwards said as the reason for starting the show.
Edwards remarked that by parking a classic car in the roadway, it may take only a few minutes for fans to gather around and show their interest in the automobile. The show and shine car show runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the north end of Main Street. Edwards said registration for the show will be from 9 a.m. to noon.
The Lind Coulee Raft Race used to be a big event during Community Days, and is returning for a second year after a hiatus with "The Return of the Great Lind Coulee Raft Race."
The raft race begins with a blind draw and ends at Roads 3 and S between 2 and 5 p.m. Event organizer Aaron Golladay said signs in Warden will lead people to the race registration. Registration starts at 10 a.m., with the race beginning at 11 a.m. and registration costs $50 per homemade raft.
Aaron Golladay called the event a blast, and one that often collects spectators all along the route.
"Everybody who came out of the water last year was exhausted beyond belief," Golladay said, "but they all had a blast."
Also beginning Sunday will be the Community Days horseshoe tournament starting at 1 p.m. Sunday at Warden Volunteer Park. The finals of the horseshoe tournament are at 1 p.m. Monday at the park.
Monday's events get fired up starting at 6 a.m. with a fireman's breakfast at the park. The breakfast is followed by the Summer Magic Parade down Main Street staring at 11 a.m.
The Summer Magic parade will honor the those who have just returned from overseas, as seven area servicemen who have recently returned from overseas will serve as the parade's grand marshals.
"We thought it would be nice to honor Jeremiah by honoring his comrades," Rettkowski said, making mention of Warden resident Spc. Jeremiah Schmunk who died while serving in Iraq last year. Rettkowski said organizers are still accepting applications for entrants in the parade, and those interested just need to be at the Warden Senior Center by 9 a.m.
The parade will be followed by the stylings of a number of musical acts from noon to 6 p.m. in the park, featuring finalists from the Colgate Country Showdown. Musicians Breanna Abell and Jonathan and Hannah Barr will perform along with the Ballet Folklorica de Fatima.
Throughout community days, the Warden Museum will also be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
To pre-register for the demo derby, call Clausen at (509) 750-9822. For information on the raft race, contact Golladay at (509) 750-9821.