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Inside the Annual Superman Celebration in Metropolis, IL

Fellow Superman fan and writer for Closer Weekly, Ed Gross recently attended the 40th Annual Superman Celebration in Metropolis, IL and has written a very insightful piece on all the activities which took place during the four-day festival. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Last month, the 40th Superman Celebration was held, bringing fans from around the world — Japan, Australia and the UK among the countries represented — to this town of under 7,000. Economically challenged on a number of levels — dilapidated buildings litter many of the streets, Uber drivers only work weekends, the airport feels like a warehouse with a runway, and finding a cab is about as miraculous as seeing a man fly — people nonetheless come. Year after year ever since Warner Bros officially decreed this to be the home of the Man of Steel in 1972. And unlike mega-events like San Diego Comic-Con, this is a gathering of a different kind.

Throughout the year, visitors pose next to the statue, though during Superman Celebration many of them also pose in front of it with Josh Boultinghouse, who has been Metropolis’ official Man of Steel for the past 11 years, adorned in the classic costume. As such, he’s there for opening and closing ceremonies and spends the vast majority of the weekend posing for photos with fans, who seem to get pretty swept up in the magic of the moment.

“For a lot of the adults,” explains the professional fitness trainer/coach, “they become like kids again, and it’s just magic to be a part of that; to help them be a kid again, because I think that’s something we all kind of long for. To go back to that simpler time when every day was something new, and you just have this zest and love for life. And for the kids, it’s a lot like seeing Santa Claus for the first time. They’re kind of, like, ‘I thought this was supposed to be make believe,’ but then they see me and for them it’s real. It’s genuinely an honor to be a part of that.”

Read Ed's complete article on the 40th Annual Superman Celebration here.