Friday, June 21, 2013 will surely go down in history as a very special day in Kansas. For that one day, by Official Proclamation, Smallville – the home of Clark Kent / Superman – came to life in Kansas. I recently wrote about this special event (click HERE to view). And after appropriate deliberation I decided I just had to be there – to be in Smallville when it arrived on the plains of Kansas.
I headed out on my Journey To Smallville in my trusty Road Trek which I had packed full of all my camera gear as well as sufficient junk food to get me through the weekend. True, I have been trying to watch my diet, be a bit more nutrition conscious and all. But I figured, heck – if you are going to Smallville then you might as well throw all caution to the wind. So I loaded up – Pepsi, chips, cookies – you get the picture.
I arrived in Hutchinson Kansas on Thursday evening, June 20th. (Keep in mind – it was still Hutchinson at that time – the major name change wouldn’t occur until midnight) I roamed the town looking for signs of Superman – maybe Clark Kent would be there, who knows. It was really a fun night to be in Hutchinson. They celebrate a monthly event, Third Thursday, up and down the main street. Lots of music, food, and good times.
I found the juggler – you know, the one with the balloon hat. Every town seems to have one – right? He was good. The kids loved him. But he had no idea about anything related to Superman.
There was lots of good music – Jazz, Bluegrass – you name it – Third Thursday had it. But still, it had nothing to do with Smallville. I was about to give up – it was maybe 95 degrees outside. It was hot, I was dry. In a state of dismay I headed out in search of a beer – maybe two. It was then that I saw it – the first glimmer of Smallville!
Yep – there it was – bright as day “Welcome To Smallville” Finally, I knew I was in the right place.
I met Brittany Ybarra and Emily Blackburn , two girls with a flair for hair. That’s Brittany in pink and Emily in blue. They were enjoying Third Thursday activities but assured me that they thought Hutchinson becoming Smallville was totally great.
As I wandered around Third Thursday, I discovered other subtle indications of Hutchinson’s true identity as Smallville and it’s connection with Clark Kent, aka Superman such as the light pole banners above.
All of the Superman / Smallville interest and activity is the result of the efforts of three local Superman enthusiasts, Christopher Wietrick, Ben Eisiminger, and Casey McNeely. I ran into Chris as I was enjoying Third Thursday activities. Okay, he was a bit hard to miss. He was the one with the large red Superman “S” on his shirt along with the flowing red Superman Cape.
Here’s Chris holding the official proclamation from the city, renaming Hutchinson as Smallville. The text of the proclamation is below.
So that’s the story of Thursday night in Hutchinson Kansas on My Journey to Smallville. A great time at the Street Party of Third Thursday and a chance to meet Chris Wietrick, one of the three local residents who spearheaded the naming of their city as ‘Smallville.’
More to come later on this Journey as I explore the City of Smallville Kansas on June 21, 2013.
Meanwhile …………….Enjoy The Adventure!
Dr.B, The Photo Trekker
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