Event of the Month

Event of the Month FOR THAT SMALL-TOWN FLAVOR TRY SUPERIOR'S ANNUAL APACHE 'BLOCK PARTY'

By Rick Heffernon Miss San Carlos Apache is a pretty young woman dressed in deerskin, and right now she is sitting atop a shiny automobile in the rain in an old copper-mining town about an hour's drive east of Phoenix. Though she doesn't show any discomfort, I know she is cold and wet. We are all cold and wet. And we are all grumbling. Except for her.

As I stand admiring her composure, her face suddenly lights up in a warm smile; the rain halts; the sun slips from behind the clouds; and the Apache Leap Days parade jolts forward at last.

Later she dedicates the event with a traditional song and recounts the "Leap" legend about Apache who chose to jump off a nearby cliff rather than surrender to the Army. Then Superior's annual event is under way.

Today no one's thoughts are on battles or death, and even Apache Leap, that storied black cliff towering over the town, appears quite composed. Instead, the folks in Superior are celebrating with a huge block party to which everyone's invited.

Main Street is closed to traffic; the sidewalks are lined with craft booths; music booms from every corner; and the aroma of Mexican food drifts throughout the town.

Horseshoes fly at Emilio's bar on Main Street; basketball teams clash at the local high school; and at the softball field, the announcer is calling all the hometown players by their first names: "Bobby just ripped a nice single to right field, driving in Raymond from second base, and advancing Ernesto to third."

In front of a white stucco house bearing a sign that says "Home of Bob Jones Museum" (Robert Jones was governor of Arizona, 1939-40), a woman cooks burros and exchanges wry comments with the milling throng.

Remarks one passerby, "I once had a little mule. Is that something like your burros?" "No," she responds. "My burros have a little more kick."

Down at the other end of Main Street, a car show attracts a crowd with its display of at least 120 low-rider machines (technically, these are automobiles with suspension systems lacking hydraulic support). Their bright metallic skins sparkle in the sun.

But I can't stay here long. It's almost time for the tamale cookoff at Besich Park. And people are already gathering for taste tests.

Standing in line before a table groaning under the weight of numerous entries set on separate plates, the hungry tasters sample a tamale from each and vote for the one he or she likes best.

When the votes are tallied, the winner is Abby Meduno, a lifetime resident of Superior. I push my way to her through a crowd of admirers to ask for her tamale recipe.

"Did you taste one?" she asks.

"Yes, but just a bite," I reply.

"Well, that's not enough. Take a whole tamale; no, take two. Then you can tell what the ingredients are for yourself."

Day's end comes too soon. And I leave pumped up with pleasant feelings about the wonderful people met and the piquant atmosphere of the little town that is only beginning to see daylight again after years in economic limbo following the closing of the Magma Copper Company mine.

Down the road, I realize others share my warm mood this day, Wilford Brimley, for one, the festival's guest celebrity. I find the star of the motion picture Cocoon casually leaning against a lamppost, smiling and people watching.

"I like the friendliness of these people," he says. "You don't find many small towns like this anymore."

WHEN YOU GO

Apache Leap Days will be held March 26-28, with events beginning on Friday evening and extending through Sunday evening. Most festivities will take place on Superior's Main Street near Besich Park.

Superior is about 60 miles east of Phoenix on U.S. Route 60. To reach Main Street, leave U.S. 60 at the marked exit to Superior's town hall and business district. Besich Park is about a mile east on Main.

If time allows, the Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum, with scenic trails and unusual desert plants, is three miles west of town and worth a visit.

For more information, write or call Superior Town Hall, 734 Main St., Superior, AZ 85273; (602) 689-5752.