BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ
In 2011, the Boyce Thompson Arboretum — Arizona’s oldest and largest botanical garden, dedicated to the study, conservation, and appreciation of desert plants – launched a series of classes on the prickly pear. “The prickly pear is a flowering plant in the cactus family that bears a tremendously flavorful fruit and vibrant flowers,” said Pete Casillas, who served as the president of the Superior Chamber of Commerce in 2011 when the classes began. “The cactus is native to Arizona and grows particularly well across Superior, so much so that these classes soon had a waiting list.”
As the demand for the classes, which delved into the edible, sustainable, and medicinal properties of the prickly pear, grew, the Arboretum began discussing ways to expand the program to make the learning accessible to a larger audience. “Paul Walterbeek of the Arboretum met with me all those years ago with the idea of partnering the Arboretum and Chamber on an annual event — a Prickly Pear Festival — to showcase the diverse, delicious plant on a grander scale,” said Casillas, who immediately liked the idea and asked Walterbeek to present it to the entire Chamber.
Similarly impressed with the concept, the Chamber unanimously approved of the event. “I still think about that first year; we had a grand total of $250 in our budget to spread the word on the event, yet we were overwhelmed with attendance,” said Casillas. The event — now overseen by Casillas as its event coordinator, and his wife, Sammie Gutierrez, in marketing and promotions — and in partnership with a newly established Superior nonprofit called Adelante Juntos Coalition, continues to grow as widely as the plant itself, bringing participants from across the Southwest and beyond.
“This year, the 14th Annual Prickly Pear Festival will take place on Saturday, August 23, along our main street in downtown Superior,” said Casillas, noting that admission to the festival remains free to all participants, as it has since its first year. According to Casillas, the primary festival is divided into three parts. “At 7 a.m., we invite our guests for a foraging expedition, which takes place along our air strip near our downtown,” said Casillas, adding all interested foragers should plan on closed-toed shoes, long sleeves, and pants to protect from the brush. They should also bring gloves, tongs, and their own bucket for prickly pear collection. The air strip is the ideal location for foraging, as prickly pear have grown naturally in and around the space for decades.
There are 18 species of prickly pear that grow across the Sonoran Desert, with the Engelmann’s, Santa Rita, Indian Fig, Arroyo, and Beavertail among the most common. In Superior, foragers are most apt to find Arroyo and Santa Rita. The Arroyo is especially adept at growing in low, wide thickets across the city, as are Santa Rita, which even novice foragers will not be able to miss thanks to its bright purple pads. “We open the space to foragers for an hour, and after which move into our pancake breakfast celebration,” said Casillas. Hosted by the Superior Fire Department at the senior center along Main Street in downtown, the pancake breakfast is a grand culinary celebration meant to bring together the city and its visitors over eggs, sausage, hundreds of flapjacks, and ample prickly pear syrup. This portion of the event is also free, but the organizers do ask for a $5 minimum donation to directly benefit the Superior Fire Department.
“After breakfast, we move into the meat of the festival,” said Casillas. “Starting at 9 a.m., the festival transitions into a series of guest speakers, vendors, and artisans.” Each speaker is asked to create a 45-minute presentation followed by a 15-minute question-and- answer session on one (or more) of four topics: food education, plant medicine, sustainability, and activism. This year, the general theme is “Back to the Roots,” featuring several Native American speakers on pre-colonization subjects. Among the featured speakers to date are indigenous food educator Jeffrey Lazos- Ferns, who is a member of the Pascua Yaqui and Cora tribes, and medicine man Larold Pinal, an Apache Mountain tribal member.
In addition to the speakers, the downtown area will also play host to a wide variety of vendors, all focused on showcasing desert- related edibles and wares, as well as all things prickly pear. Long-time event favorites Sonoran Scavengers and Wild Greens are already confirmed to take part, as are several candy makers, syrup makers, and more. These vendors will be indoors as well as outside under shaded canopies. “And what is a festival without entertainment? As such, we also have DJ Supetown entertaining the crowd with music, food trucks with an array of items for purchase, a beer garden, wine tasting at Bruzzi Vineyard along Main Street, folklorico performances, and more,” said Casillas. “Local restaurants are also getting in on the fun, with many offering prickly pear-themed food or drink that day, including Bella’s Café, Buckboard Café, Silver King Smoke House, Porter’s Saloon, and DeMarco’s Pizza.”
According to Casillas, for the first time ever, the event is also partnering with Local First Arizona for a pre-festival event on August 22. Set to take place at the Superior Town Hall auditorium, the event will welcome a panel discussion followed by a screening of “The Story of Arizona’s Good Food,” which is an inspirational story of Arizona’s local food distribution.
“While the event is free, there are proceeds from several of the mini-events during our program in addition to the firefighter breakfast, a portion of which will support Adelante Juntos’ mission to prevent substance abuse among youth and mobilize communities to create safe, healthy, drug-free schools, families, and communities,” said Casillas. “A portion will also allow us to fund playground equipment for our Superior children’s area, including a new swing set and teeter totter.”
Email pricklypearfestsuperior@gmail.com or visit www.superiorarizona.com/events for more information.
