by Mila Besich, Mayor, Town of Superior
With the advent of fall, there is great anticipation for the festivities and celebrations of the holiday season. And for Superior, holidays are the absolutely best days in our community.
As a native Arizonan, fall has always been my favorite season. This season signifies so many important family and community traditions. It means family will be visiting from near and far, favorite decorations will come out of their storage boxes and of course, some of my grandmothers’ best recipes will be prepared for family feasts.
This year, I welcomed fall surrounded by friends at a special autumn equinox dinner. During the dinner, we celebrated the importance of balance and reflection. Fall ushers in the falling of the leaves, chilled air and the changing colors of nature, which are all important reminders that we must balance, make time to prepare for the future and reflect. What stood out to me most was maintaining balance. I often find balance through my family and community traditions.
This equinox reminded me of how truly thankful I am to my mother, grandmothers and aunts who instilled the value of family traditions and the importance of making memories; this is what grounds you through the changes in life. Top of mind for me also is the importance of the time and diligent efforts our community volunteers expend to maintain and grow important community traditions.
In Superior, our community is steeped in long-standing traditions, especially over the holidays, and I encourage everyone to consider joining us in celebrating the holidays in Superior.
Our Halloween Parade and Costume Contest is one of my all-time favorite events. It was held on the Sunday before Halloween. (Oct. 27, 4-8 p.m.). The best part was seeing all of the creativity among our residents who designed custom costumes. The hardest job of the day is judging all of these costumes. This year, there also was a haunted house and more Halloween fun added into the event.
Generosity in the holiday season is in full view when the community attends the annual Fill-A-Bowl fundraiser hosted by the Superior High School FBLA Chapter. This heart-warming and stomach-filling soup dinner event raises much needed funds for the Superior Food Bank (Nov. 2, 5-8 p.m.).
Each year on the second Friday in December (Dec. 13, 5-9 p.m.), our Superior Optimist Club hosts the Miracle on Main Street Holiday Parade. Following the parade, Santa visits and everyone can visit and share their wishes with him. This is our kick-off to the holiday season. The Optimist Club decorates the park and assists Santa’s elves in preparing goody bags for the children who visit Santa. It is a fun event and provides an opportunity to shop in our Main Street Downtown businesses.
Christmas Eve is my favorite night of all because our local Fire Department works to ensure that every child in Superior receives a gift from Santa on Christmas Eve. Santa arrives early in the afternoon (thankfully, he devotes a great deal of time to Superior). He rides on a fire truck, and as the children line the sidewalks to see the parade of fire trucks and ambulances, they receive a gift from Santa. On this very special night, nearly 2,000 gifts are given out and it is a joyous feeling when so many generations of families are gathered together to celebrate the Christmas holiday.
My wish for each of you in this upcoming holiday season is that you will find balance through your family and community traditions, that the gathering of friends and family will bring you joy, and that as you reflect on 2019, you will enthusiastically embrace and welcome the New Year. Make a New Year’s resolution to visit Superior. We look forward to seeing you, your family and your friends in 2020!
