|
|
2021 Superman Celebration Makes a Triumphant Return
The annual Superman Celebration returned to the streets and businesses of Metropolis, IL following a year long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic and the Superman Super Site was there once again for our 13th straight year!
The three fun-filled days of festivities, entertainment, and all things Superman kicked off on Friday as opposed to Thursday as in years past and, while there was no official ribbon cutting or opening ceremony, this in no way made the celebration any less enjoyable.
With Friday being the first full day of the celebration, there was no shortage of things to do including the always popular Artists Alley & Writers Way which was packed with extremely talented guests including artist Chad Hardin (Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman, Zatanna, Warlord, Web of Spider-Man, Antivenom), Blake Armstrong (Ready Player One, Spiderman Homecoming, Robotnik, Sonic, Hotel Transylvania Tranformania, Cruella), Ale Garza (Gen-13, Dv8, Stormwatch, WildC.A.T.S., Supergirl, Teen Titans), and Mostafa Moussa (Batman, The Flash, Superman, Fantastic Four, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) just to name a few.
Located directly outside of the Artists Alley & Writers Way venue, celebration attendees had the rare opportunity to have their photo taken with two unique guests, the world-famous Oscar Meyer Weinermobile and Lightning McQueen from the "Cars" film trilogy.
A short walk from these two photo-ops was a new addition to this year's line-up of special events: the first annual Super Mini-Con which took place at the Hidden Gems Novelties and Collectibles store. This convention featured an assortment of vendors as well as special guests Jerry "The King" Lawler of WWE fame and comic book artist Arthur Suydam who is best known for his work on the Walking Dead, Marvel Zombies, Deadpool, Black Panther, and KISS Zombies.
Festival attendees also came out in large numbers on Friday to attend our 11th Annual Superman Super Site Meet & Greet at the popular Metropolis restaurant, Fat Edd's Roadhouse. Everyone seemed to have a great time and had the opportunity to win a variety of door prizes including DVD's & Blurays, movie posters, collectible statues, and various contributions from area merchants. It was great to see so many old friends and quite a few new faces as well.
A popular Friday activity was the first round of celebrity guest autograph sessions where fans had the opportunity to meet and chat with Stacy Haiduk (Lana Lang - "The Adventures of Superboy"), Ilan Mitchell-Smith (Andy McAlister - "The Adventures of Superboy", Wyatt Donnelly - "Weird Science"), K. Callan (Martha Kent - "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman"), and Nichole Tom (Kara/Supergirl - "Superman: The Animated Series", Maggie Sheffield - "The Nanny").
Other first day events included Superman Jeopardy with the Rinaldis, Super Human Chess, Metropolis Sings - A Karaoke/Lip Sync Celebration featuring festival attendees taking the stage to be a super star, and an Exclusive Super Fan VIP party at the Metropolis Chamber building which closed out the days festivities.
Saturday is always the biggest day of the celebration and this year was certainly no different. A large number of attendees gathered under the Metro Tent for the popular "Stump the Superman Expert" trivia contest hosted by Chris Brockow. Fans then lined up to take photos of both Stacy Haiduk and Ilan Mitchell-Smith at the world famous 15-foot-tall Superman Statue and to see them at their Q&A panel.
Following the Q&A panel, a very special ceremony called the "Patriot II Flag Presentation of Colors" took place at the Superman Statue featuring a 28-by-60-foot flag brought to Metropolis by Organizer, Mitch Mendler and guest Joe Torrillo (a former Lieutenant with the NYC Fire Department who was buried alive in the collapse of the World Trade Center on 9/11.) The flag honors the fallen men and women who gave their lives for the Red, White, & Blue, the Public Safety Personnel who keep us safe, and the armed forces who are preserving our freedom. The flag has been displayed in 47 states and this presentation was unique to the City of Metropolis, IL.
Other day-two events included an eating contest, archery with Wonder Woman and Green Arrow, the "Save the Massac Benefit Auction", and a concert by the high-energy funk and soul band, The Aquaducks Band. Capping off the evening's festivities was a very insightful presentation called "The Ghosts and Hauntings in Metropolis" with the founder of the International Paranormal Society, Adrian Lee, who talked about his ghostly experiences in Metropolis including conversations with both George Reeves and Christopher Reeve.
Sunday was, sadly, the final day of the celebration and kicked off with an inaugural "Superfriends of Metropolis" kickball game followed by a group photo-op at the Superman statue. Celebration attendees had one last opportunity to meet celebrity guests at the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce or take advantage of a photo-op with the Weinermobile or Lightning McQueen by the Noel Neill as Lois Lane Statue.
The most popular event of the day was the MSC Costume Contest which featured numerous fans dressing as their favorite comic book, movie, television, and sci-fi related characters. All contestants competed in such categories as "Most Outstanding Costume", "Most Oustanding Character", "Best Duo/Group", "Extreme Supreme Character", and "Crowd Favorite". All winners then posed for a group photo on the Metro Tent stage.
So ends another wonderfully exciting year of the annual Superman Celebration and thus begins the official count down to next year's 43rd annual event which will take place June 9th - 12th, 2022. It will also mark the 50th Anniversary of Metropolis, IL officially being designated by DC Comics in 1972 as the Official Hometown of Superman.
Two things are for certain, it will definitely be just as entertaining as all prior celebrations and the Superman Super Site will be there for our 14th straight year!
