Many events are planned for the day-long festival

MATTHEWS - City workers are busy making sure everything is ready for visitors at the Matthews City Park on Saturday. The grass is mowed, the basketball court painted and a new sidewalk is in place -- all in anticipation of Saturday's Community Day.

It's a day, organizers said, that will be filled with family fun. There is a parade, beauty pageants, contests for children and adults and plenty to eat and drink.

While the Community Day's roots reach back to the 1960s, it is the Big Prairie Jaycees who have kept the event rolling for more than 30 years. Lisa Shaw described the day-long festival as one way to thank the community for its support of the Jaycees all the other days of the year.

"It's a fun thing to have a day in the park ...The park is filled with people. The kids have a wonderful time," said Shaw. "It is neat to see how many people come out."

A parade at 10 a.m. Saturday will kick off the Community Day. Visitors gather along Matthew's Main Street to watch the floats, vehicles and marching bands go by then head to the town's park for the rest of the day's events.

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