The 30th anniversary of the movie Tombstone took place and the town hosted a number of stars.
Tombstone became home to rebellious cowboys when silver was discovered in the area.
Soon, Northern sheriffs moved in to set the law straight. This caused a lot of tension until a gunfight broke out over the gun control laws in the town.
Susan Wallace, who has been living in Tombstone since 1978, took over her family business Big Nose Kate’s, where the movie always plays on a TV by the bar .
The waitresses are dressed in timely corsets and boots that take you back 100 years ago. The original structure, some of the floors and even the entrance to the mines are still there.
Wallace said the movie reignited people’s interest in Tombstone. “The movie had a huge impact on Tombstone. People didn’t even realize Tombstone was a real place,” she said. “We were very fortunate the movie was made because even 30 years later people are happy to get a little chunk of that.”
Big Nose Kate’s is a restaurant and bar that is a tribute to Kate who was known to be extremely nosey. “She didn’t have a big nose so to speak, she was nosey Kate,” Wallace said. “She was a businesswoman, and she was Doc Holiday’s sidekick.”
Despite the touristy nature of the town, it is still a community that many people live in and cherish. Many of the businesses are owned by locals whose families have been living in Tombstone for decades.
Wallace said, “We’re still a living town. People sometimes call and say when does tombstones close but were open 24/7. We’re not an amusement park.”
Wallace said, “It’s good to live in a small town” because “everyone knows that everyone likes to drink, they know when they have nights off and what they’re doing with their job.”
Gordon Anderson, the owner of the Larian Motel in downtown Tombstone and one of the producers of the 30th anniversary, shares similar sentiments.
Anderson’s family bought the Larian Motel in September 1980 when he was a teen. Anderson went to Tombstone High School and graduated in 1984. He recalls going to the movie theater with his mother to see Tombstone in Sierra Vista at the Uptown Theater in 1993.
“It (the movie) was the talk of the town. It was the talk of the nation. It’s been all over the world,” Anderson said. “It’s in my opinion our greatest marketing tool for this town …. It resonates with younger generations …. It’s still cool.”
Anderson says that the reunion is a way for him to help the businesses in Tombstone stay afloat. “You want to help your community; you know this is a great marketing tool. you know your community needs help; I mean we’re in the middle of nowhere here.”
Tourists will flood into Tombstone this weekend to meet the stars. Anderson hopes the anniversary will bring the community together.