Metropolis, IL’s biggest week of the year is drawing near. From Thursday, June 10, through Sunday, June 13 the town of fewer than 7000 people will become a real metropolis, or at least close to it, as thousands of visitors from around the country, and even around the world, visit for the 32nd annual Superman Celebration and once again, the Superman Super Site staff will be there to cover all the activities with day to day reports!

"It's a chance for people of all ages to come together and just enjoy a weekend of fun," explained Metropolis Tourism Director Angie Shelton. "You never know who you'll meet... and you never know what you’ll see!"

As always, a big draw for Superman enthusiasts is the lineup of celebrities. Special guests at this year's festival include Laura Vandervoort and Sam Witwer from television’s Smallville; Noel Neill, Lois Lane from The Adventures of Superman; Ilya Salkind, producer of Superman I, II and III; and the legendary comic book artist, Carmine Infantino.

In addition to Infantino, artists and writers, including Dave Beaty, Josh Elder and members of the Mid-south Cartoonist Association, will be among those who will share their love of comics with visitors to the Celebration.

To honor Noel Neill, the "First Lady of Metropolis," a statue of her likeness is scheduled to be unveiled at 10 a.m. Friday, June 11 at the corner of Eighth and Market streets. The slightly larger-than-life bronze statue will feature Neil in her famous pose as reporter Lois Lane. The statue will be the centerpiece of a newly constructed setting which features engraved bricks. Hundreds of people purchased personalized bricks to help fund the $65,000 project.

Celebration Co-Chairperson Karla Ogle explains there will be events for all ages during the festival. "The Celebration will include a Smallville tent where free children’s activities are held each day, the “Man of Steel” tent where super strength competitions will draw interest, and the "Metro" tent were live music will be performed daily," she said. "And, our Artist's Alley will welcome visitors as a place to learn about the creation of comic books."

Many popular events are returning to this year's line-up including the $1000 Costume Contest, Super Car Show, Supertrek Bike Ride, The George Awards and Auction, Superman Trivia, Color-A-Cape for kids, Superman Road Race, Super Dog Contest, and Supergirl and Superboy pageants, just to name a few.

Superman fans will have the chance to become an "Honorary Citizen of Metropolis" for the second year during the Celebration. Citizen certificates will be available for purchase at the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce during the Celebration and the mayor of Metropolis will conduct a "swearing in" ceremony at the Superman Statue.

New to this year's line-up are Stump the Superman Expert, a Cheetos Eating Contest and game-show type event, "60 Seconds to be Super."

During the four-day celebration, visitors can sample food items at numerous cafes-on-wheels and browse sidewalk sales. The always-popular carnival brings all sorts of exciting rides, along with concessions, including corn dogs and cotton candy.

Right in the middle of all of the activities visitors will have the opportunity to pose with the world-famous 15-foot-tall bronze statue of Superman and tour the SuperMuseum, which holds the largest collection of Superman memorabilia in the world.

Metropolis, Illinois is the only town with the same name as the fictional city made famous in comic books. It is located at the southern tip of Illinois where the Ohio River meets Paducah, Ky. A complete schedule of events for the Superman Celebration can be found at www.supermancelebration.net, or by calling the Chamber of Commerce at 800-949-5740.