The Superior Chamber of Commerce is excited to bring back two of the town’s most popular events: the Superior Burro Run and the 33rd Annual Apache Leap Mining Festival. Held over the weekend of October 22-24, 2021, these one-of-a-kind events will celebrate Superior’s rich history as a mining town with a series of fun, family-friendly activities, ranging from pack burro racing to a hands-on mining competition and more.
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With a long history in Colorado, where it is recognized as the state’s official summer heritage sport, pack burro racing debuted in Arizona in 2019 with the inaugural Superior Burro Run. The sport is a throwback to mining days, when “burros” (the Spanish term for donkeys) were used to pack supplies and ore. For this year’s event, teams consisting of one human partner and one burro partner will compete for glory — and gorgeous custom prizes! — in one of three course lengths: three-, six- or twelve-mile. On Saturday, October 23, the teams will race down Main Street and out onto Forest Service trails, navigating together to see who has the best partnership and the fastest feet. Each course will conclude back on Main Street, where spectators can watch the teams dash across the finish line. Spectators are encouraged to attend this exciting event, which will also feature a beer garden, live music and other entertainment, as well as trained burro adoptions from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
A long-cherished annual tradition in Superior, the Apache Leap Mining Festival showcases the town’s history, with a focus on the past, present and future of the mining industry. The Festival will launch on Friday, October 22 with a carnival, vendors selling handcrafted goods, music and dancing on Main Street. The fun will continue on Saturday and Sunday, and will include the annual parade, with burros and big rigs and hilarious Chihuahua races, which feature a runoff between the fastest small dog and the fastest Chihuahua. Live entertainment will contribute to the upbeat atmosphere throughout the event. Attendees of all ages will not want to miss the Festival’s popular hands-on activities, including a mining competition in which participants perform grueling tasks such as sawing, mucking, spiking and drilling in a battle to win a coveted prize. In addition to all the fun, the Apache Leap Mining Festival offers fascinating educational opportunities, such as historian speakers bringing to life the area’s mining stories from the past.
Superior locals and visitors alike are encouraged to experience these unique, entertaining events, both of which are free to the public (with the exception of race participants in the Burro Run). Festivities will run from 5-11 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit www.superiorarizonachamber.org, call 520-689-0200 or stop by the Superior Chamber of Commerce at 165 W. Main St., Superior, Ariz. 85173.
Burros and dogs inherently do not care for each other so we ask that you leave FIDO at home.
