Events: Arizona - Phoenix - Scottsdale

SUPERIOR, ARIZ. — On Saturday, January 26 and Sunday, January 27, 2019, visitors to the Town of Superior will enjoy an exciting line-up of activities as the Superior Chamber of Commerce presents the Home and Building Tour. This event will showcase Superior’s eclectic variety of properties, many of which feature repurposed historical elements that beautifully unite the town’s past with its present and future. The Tour will begin at the Chamber of Commerce, 165 W. Main St., and run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The weekend’s festivities will also include an Antique Show at the Magma Club, a guided hike to the Queen Creek tunnel and Old West reenactments performed by Wyatt Earp, a descendant of the legendary Wyatt Earp.

The Superior Home and Building Tour is unique among home tours due to its diverse collection of older and newer architecture. Visitors will see amazing renovations of homes and buildings that many cities would have simply bulldozed. For example, one home that has been beautifully remodeled with an artist’s touch now includes metal roofing restored from historical buildings, gorgeous kitchen cabinets trimmed with copper and an old high school gymnasium floor. The former red brick high school — built circa 1926 — will also be on the tour this year. Now a private home with several guest suites and a gymnasium, this building is a must see. Another showstopper is “Element 29” (copper), which was originally built as La Olla Auto Court in the 1940s and was commonly known as The Rock Motel. Sadly, the motel fell into a state of disrepair and attracted a number of unwanted “elements.” Today, the property has been splendidly renovated as furnished apartments that tour attendees will not want to miss.

In addition to the Home and Building Tour, Superior’s annual Antique Show will be staged at the Magma Club (circa 1915). The show will feature live music, wine and cheese, and collections of quality antiques that will entice buyers and take them on a trip down memory lane.

The weekend’s events will also include a mid-morning guided hike to the old Queen Creek tunnel on Saturday. Additionally, the famous Mata Ortiz potters will be crafting and selling their exquisite wares. Weather permitting, they will fire the pots in an amazing primitive fashion that makes this pottery magnificent. Channeling Superior’s Old Western spirit, there will be an appearance by locally famed Wyatt Earp as he performs “Doc Holliday, the Story Hollywood Never Told.”  Steve Germick, with the Tonto National Forest, will share stories about Mattie Earp, Wyatt’s common law wife, who is buried in Superior. In the late afternoon, a reenactment of several of the deceased will take place at the Superior Cemetery.

Tickets for the Home and Building Tour are $15 ($13 prepaid online) and are valid for both days. As a special bonus, each ticket holder will receive a two-for-one pass to the Renaissance Festival and the world-renowned Boyce Thompson Arboretum, to be used at a later date.