Ron Trompke didn’t believe his wife, Kathy, when she told him about the 15-foot Superman statue in downtown Metropolis, Ill.
When the couple decided to road trip across the United States, they found the statue and the town along the way to their final destination in Virginia.
The Trompkes, full-time RVers from Fair Grove, Mo., had grown up watching Christopher Reeve as Superman in the movies. The Superman statue stands guard in front of the courthouse overlooking the main street. The Trompkes, posing like perfect tourists, snapped some photos before moving over to the Superman cutouts.
Many people visit Metropolis, the only town in the United States that bears the same name of Superman’s city, to honor the superhero they grew up watching.                                    “do y’all know you’re the home of superman?”
Superman inhabited the pages of DC comics for 39 years before Metropolis, Ill., became associated with the Man of Steel.
Kentucky-born Bob Westerfield moved to Metropolis in 1972, noted the name of the town and asked, “Do y’all know you’re the home of Superman?” Becky Lambert, a real estate agent in Metropolis, said Westerfield was the one who pushed to have the town recognized as Superman’s official hometown.
“It took an outsider to come into Metropolis to go, ‘You’re missing the boat here, people,’” she said.

Photos by Ashley Richards

   People searching for bargains and eclectic collectibles can probably find them at the Westport Flea Market and Bar and Grill. With more than 30 booths to search, treasure hunters can find anything from cowboy boots to glassware. But the most talked-about find is also the easiest: The restaurant sits right in the center of the Westport, Mo., establishment.
“They have the best burgers,” John Shaughnessy declared from his perch at the bar.
And he should know – his relationship with the Westport Flea Market extends back 15 years.                     “There’s a lot of regular clients,” he remarked. “Not just regulars who hang out at the bar, but [regulars] who come here for lunches, [and] businesses come here, plus it’s a neighborhood bar.”
Shaughnessy reflected on why the Flea, as many call it, is so successful at creating return customers.
“It’s not pretentious like some of the other bars in Westport,” he said after a pause. “Look at the people. You’ve got a family there, and there old people, young people,” he noted, pointing around him at the nearly full restaurant.