Dancing and stories at Warden Days festival

WARDEN — Warden celebrated Labor Day with food, music, volleyball, some traditional Mexican dancing, and a whole lot of story telling.

“This is kind of our life right now,” said Andy Dormaier, who described himself as a “retired farmer” while he sat making balloon animals for kids outside the Story Barn.

The Story Barn has been a ministry project of Child Evangelism Fellowship since 1962, Dormaier said. So far this year they have visited 28 fairs and events in five central Washington counties so far this year.

Dormier and his wife Connie, and their fellow evangelists Tim and Mari Dekle, take turns inviting kids in to hear a real story based on a biblical theme by a real person.

But it wasn’t all stories under the bright sky and warm Labor Day sun. Students and parents from the Warden schools were out in force fundraising as well, selling everything from mini-donuts to hosting a dunking pool to raise money.

“We’ve just gotten started, and the mini-donuts are new this year,” said Shanna Golladay, president of Parents Advocating for Warden Schools (PAWS), the equivalent of the town’s PTA.

Also new this year were a group of local kids performing country dance and traditional Mexican folks dances.

“We just started doing this, and already we’ve been at three festivals,” said Alejandra Aguilar, translating for dance organizer Lulu Herrera.

Aguilar said Herrera started the dance group because she had been doing traditional Mexican dance — ballet folklórico — since she was a small child, and wanted to make sure that the descendants of Mexican immigrants in central Washington “know the traditions of Mexico.”