"We're such a great place to be and a great place to live and it's a great place to work and a great town of business," Paula Bowman said of Warsaw.

Bowman is the vice president of Warsaw Community Development Corp. and owner of Courthouse Coffee.

Bowman, along with several others, is working toward finalization and sponsorship of events for Warsaw's Downtown Days, scheduled to take place July 21 to 23.

Downtown Days is made possible through the support of local organizations and businesses.

Bowman said the support "has been phenomenal. I'm just really, really pleased."

The Warsaw Parks Department, the street department, the mayor's office, the Chamber of Commerce and the city and county councils have joined forces to help plan Warsaw's Downtown Days.

"We all kind of worked this thing together," Bowman said.

Bowman said Warsaw used to have a Pioneer Days Festival.

Downtown days is a revision of that, she said.

"Basically, it's just an event to promote Warsaw, primarily downtown because it's a really great place," Bowman said. "It's really historical. We've got a lot of neat shops down here. It's just wonderful.

"What we're hoping for is a lot of the industries to be participating," she said.

Bowman said the activities for Downtown Days are coming right along.

"It's actually very fun and we're way, way, way ahead of last year in the planning. We didn't have the schedule set last year until June, which is not a good thing," Bowman said. "So I thought this year: 'This is going to be done.'"

New activities planned for this year's festivities include: carousel rides, pie-eating contests, swing dance lessons, sailboat races, "geezer three-on-three tourney" and barbershop entertainment by the Sweet Adalines.

Bowman said some of the added events for this year were taken from Warsaw's Centennial Celebration 25 years ago.

"Because this is Warsaw's 125th year, we're planning this big celebration along with the city," Bowman said.

Bowman also said they have been working with the historical and millennium societies "because of all the stuff that happened 125 years ago."

Downtown Days also will include crafts and sidewalk sales (sponsored by St. Anne's Church and area merchants), 5k race through town, Bill Reneker 3 on 3 tourney (sponsored by the YMCA), a kiddie area, a watermelon feast (sponsored by National City Bank), a play written by Sally Hogan and narrated by Gen. Reub Williams I, a big wheel race (sponsored by Penguin Point), Lake City Car Show (Rock 'n' Roll Cruisers), a beard contest, a mayor look-alike contest, waterball (sponsored by Warsaw Fire Department) and a Dillinger relay/bed race.

The parade will be July 22 at noon. The theme for the parade will be "Years Gone By."

"What we're doing is inviting the industries that are 25 years old or older to do a float," Bowman said. "We want to show 125 years of progress, where we came from and where we are now."

Bowman is looking forward to Downtown Days.

"It's so much fun," she said. "The food is phenomenal; the multi-talented people around town are just wonderful."

Bowman said a lot of people have a tendency to forget how "great" Warsaw is.

"It's going to be a great place to shop with all the new things happening around town," Bowman said. "We would just like everybody to stay and party here instead of party elsewhere."

The plans for Downtown Days are set and the applications for events, contests and vendor spots are available. Those interested should call Bowman at 269-3535 or stop by Courthouse Coffee Shop at 108 N. Buffalo St. [[In-content Ad]]