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Event: Superman Celebration!

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One of the most fan-based, yet little known comic book hero festivals takes place at the end of this week, June 6th-June 9th.  The annual “Superman Celebration” is held in Metropolis, Illinois every June and, yes, there really is a Metropolis, with its very own Daily Planet newspaper.  More akin to the fictional Smallville than Superman’s comic book city home, Metropolis was founded in 1839, but was declared the “Hometown of Superman” by DC Comics in January 21, 1972, and by Illinois State Legislature Resolution 572 on June 9 later that year.  So every second weekend in June, the small town becomes the gathering spot for Superman enthusiasts from all over the world.   With celebrities, artists, and a full list of events, the whole town takes on the mood of a KOOL comic book convention, spread out over many blocks from the large Superman statue central to the city’s courthouse.

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Celebrities in attendance every year always have some connection to Superman, in one of it’s many media forms. The line-up this year will include Margot Kidder, the well-known actress who played Lois Lane from the definitive Superman movies of the 1970’s and 1980’s, Michael Rosenbaum, the Smallville television show’s very own Lex Luthor, and Alessandro Juliani, who played “Dr. Emil Hamilton” on the same series and who will make an appearance in the upcoming Man of Steel movie as “Sergeant Sedowsky.”

Other special guests will include Traci Scoggins, who played “Catherine Grant” on the Lois & Clark television show, as well as episode guest stars of the same show, Laurie Mitchell Roberts and Gregory Moffett.

Comic book guests include Ron Frenz, Brett Breeding, Chris Sprouse, and Art Baltazar, but even more artists, writers, and musical guests will be in attendance.

Other events include the Fan Film awards, a showing of Superman: The Movie, the chance to become an honorary citizen of Metropolis, and the town’s Superman museum, which boasts to be one of the best Superman museums in the world.  Events will be there for all ages, talents, and interests.   Visitors can also tour the local historical and river attractions, and some lucky adults may even want to partake in the Casino just at the foot of Ferry Street.

$1000 Superhero Costume Contest!
$1000 Superhero Costume Contest!

Always one of the largest events every year is the costume contest. Held Sunday, June 9th, at 1:00pm with a whopping $1,000 price, this would make a geek’s trip worthwhile if only to see the variety and creativity represented here!  All forms of costumes are welcome.

If you just want to strut your stuff as the Man of Steel himself, then make sure you participate in the Guinness World Record attempt of the “Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Superman”.  The Celebration set the record in 2008, but it has been broken twice since, and most recently by a group of 437 employees of a Canadian company.  If you do not come for anything else, come for the gathering of Supermen and help set the record again!

Edit! – Whoops, looks like the headquarters of Sears in Hoffman Estates set a NEW record on June 5th with 556 super people.  Metropolis will have more catching up to do.  At least it was in Illinois.

Get all the information about the the Superman Celebration on the official homepage at http://www.supermancelebration.net/

Learn more about Metropolis at http://www.metropolistourism.com/.

Find the full schedule of Superman Celebration events at http://www.supermancelebration.net/schedule.

Metropolis - Home of Superman!
Metropolis – Home of Superman!

Never heard of Metropolis, IL, but are now anxious to get there?  Check out the maps available here: http://www.supermancelebration.net/maps.

The weather looks like it will be great for the event so find a cape and fly on into Metropolis this week and be a part of the
35th Annual Superman Celebration!

2 thoughts on “Event: Superman Celebration!

  1. Great article from Geeky KOOL’s newest writer. Thank you Tilford. I had no idea about the Superman Celebration.

  2. My wife and I were driving east on vacation a few years ago, we saw the sign on the highway and she said, “let’s check it out”. There was no event when we went, but we got to see the statue and comic store was really cool. I bought a cheap keepsake or two and had lots of fun on our brief tour. I would recommend it to anyone who is “Super-inclined”. I wish I could go this weekend, but have other commitments at present. Maybe next year I can go!

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