Hutchinson, KS Becomes Smallville…
… for a day.
For those who haven’t been paying attention, there’s a movement to get the city of Hutchinson, Kansas renamed to Smallville.
And for June 21st, that’s happening. The city council approved a measure that makes Hutchinson the official home of Clark Kent on the same day the character gets inducted into the Kansas Hall of Fame in Topeka.
Hutchinson natives Christopher Wietrick, Ben Eisiminger and Casey McNeely began the push nearly a year ago, campaigning with a growing mound of similarities between the real Kansas city and the fictional one:
- White Kryptonite/Salt — Hutchinson is known for its salt, which is deadly to plants just as white kryptonite
- Both towns are built around a park and gazebo
- Smallville is 55 miles from Salina, KS; Hutchinson is 57 miles away
- The high school mascots are both birds
- Both towns are located on the Arkansas River near dams
- Hutchinson has a movie memorabilia museum located in the salt museum
Here’s a more complete list from their Facebook page:
Hutchinson is also home to the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, featured in the comics and home to the second largest collection of space artifacts; only the Smithsonian’s collection is bigger.
The Hutchinson city council unanimously approved the measure on June 18, and Hutchinson News editor John Montgomery will be in Topeka to accept the Hall of Fame induction on behalf of reporter Clark Kent. Laura Siegel Larson, the daughter of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, will also attend. Wietrick and Co. were also invited to attend by Hall of Fame co-founder Beth Fager, who said, “I think this effort to make Hutchinson Smallville is really something kind of fun and entertaining.”
The group also has a Twitter account. Wietrick made this video as part of his presentation to the city council. It’s worth a look simply for the last bit, where they outline the city limits:
