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Thousands Flock to Metropolis, IL for 44th Annual Superman Celebration
This past week, the Superman Super Site once again had the opportunity to travel to Metropolis, IL for the 44th Annual Superman Celebration which featured three fun-filled days of festivities, entertainment, and all things Superman.
This year marked our 14th straight trip to the event which kicked off with an opening ceremony on Friday, June 10th featuring a welcome speech by Superman Celebration Committee members and the unveiling of an exclusive art piece by artist Blake Armstrong commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Metropolis, IL as the official hometown of Superman.
Armstrong is originally from Metropolis and has created the poster artwork for such film and television projects as "Sonic the Hedgehog", "Ready Player One", "Ford V Ferrari" and "Stranger Things". He has also designed artwork for such heavy metal bands as In Flames, Slayer, Kataklysm, and Carnifex.
Next up was Superman Super Site contributing reporter Chris Brockow's popular "Stump the Superman Expert" contest at the main Metropolis Tent which offered the large crowd in attendance the opportunity to win various prizes by answering Superman trivia questions.
It was then time to kick off our 12th Annual Superman Super Site Meet & Greet at the popular Metropolis restaurant, Fat Edd's Roadhouse. We had our largest turnout ever and a great time was had by all with door prizes including DVD's & Blurays, Superman movie soundtracks, books, movie posters, collectible statues, and various contributions from area merchants.
Following the Meet & Greet, actor George Newbern who voiced the role of Superman in the Justice League animated series took to the main stage for a Q&A session. Other first day guests that fans had the opportunity to meet were in attendance at the Hidden Gems Super Mini-Con and included Jack O'Halloran (Non - "Superman: II"), Jerry "the King" Lawler (WWE Hall of Famer), Michael Manno (Leo - "The Adventures of Superboy"), and Douglas B Myers (Bizarro - "The Adventures of Superboy").
The always popular Artists Alley & Writers Way which was once again packed with extremely talented guests including artist Matthew Clark ("Adventures of Superman", "Teen Titans", "The Outsiders", "Superman/Batman"), cartoonist Guy Gilchrist ("The Muppets", Muppet Babies", "TMNT", "Tom and Jerry", "Looney Tunes", "Tiny Toons", "Pink Panther"), and comic book artist Rick Burchett ("Blackhawk", "Batman", "The Flash", "Superman", "Black Hood", "Wonder Woman", "The Justice League", "Green Lantern") just to name a few.
One huge special guest that could not be missed was a fan-built replica of the Optimus Prime semi-truck which was first unveiled in the cinematic film, "Transformers: Age of Extinction". Assembled with legal permission from Hasbro, the Optimus semi-truck travels across North America for events including fundraisers, community events, food drives, and more. They are also known for making VIP visits to local schools as part of their mission encouraging children to follow their dreams and to rise up against bullies.
Celebration attendees also had the opportunity to check on such first-day activities as Super Trivia with the Rinaldis, Superhuman Chess, the Southern Draw Band, and an exclusive VIP Party for MSC VIP Sponsors only.
Saturday saw easily the largest crowds in years at the celebration and is always the biggest day of the event with this year certainly being no different. Fans who had purchased VIP sponsorships began lining up over an hour in advance for each of the five special autograph sessions which featured first time ever guest Tom Welling (Clark Kent - "Smallville") and Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor - "Smallville") who was making his third return trip to Metropolis.
Both actors were an absolute joy to meet and, in addition to their autograph sessions, huge crowds turned out for a chance to take photos of the two at the world famous 15-foot-tall Superman Statue and to see them at their highly entertaining Q&A events under the Metropolis Tent. Later in the evening, fans also had the opportunity to purchase tickets to see Welling and Rosenbaum at their event, "Smallville Nights" which featured the two stars bringing some of the best "Smallville" moments to life by reenacting scenes from the television series.
Other featured Saturday events included a Q&A with Superman Museum founder Jim Hambrick and co-owner Morgan Siebert, the 34th Kiwanis Superman Bicycle Ride, the always popular "Honorary Citizen of Metropolis Swearing In Ceremony" with Mayor Don Canada, and a Q&A session with Dr. Charles Chandler who portrayed the very first Metropolis, IL Superman in 1972 when the town was declared by DC Comics as the official hometown of Superman.
Sunday was, sadly, the final day of the celebration and kicked off with the 35th Annual Rotary Club Car Show at Fort Massac and a "Superfriends of Metropolis" group photo-op at the Superman statue. This was followed by another round of Super Trivia with the Rinaldis and one last opportunity to meet Michael Rosenbaum without the need of a special ticket.
A special Heroes/Villains Parade from the Smallville Tent to Superman Square preceeded the always popular MSC Heroes & Villains Costume Contest which features numerous fans dressing as their favorite comic book, movie, television, and sci-fi related characters. We will have a full, detailed review of the costume contest posted within the coming days complete with photos and the list of winners.
The celebration officially ended with a closing ceremony under the Metro Tent including "thank-you's" to everyone who had attended the festival and an invitation to return next year.
So ends another wonderfully exciting year of the annual Superman Celebration and thus begins the official count down to next years 45th festival which will take place June 9th - 11th, 2022. Two things are for certain, it will definitely be just as entertaining as all prior celebrations and the Superman Super Site will be there once again for our 15th straight year!
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