My 21-year-old daughter thinks she is Batman.
My 21-year-old daughter thinks she is Batman.
When questioned as to why she believes she is the caped crusader, she will invariably come back with, "Have you ever seen Batman and me in the same room?"
In our home, this sets off a series of comments, some of which include but are not limited to: "Batman is not real, he is a fictitious character," and "Batman is male, you're a girl," and our favourite response, "Hi, I'm Captain America."
In reality, I am not, but if I were to be an action hero, I would like to be Captain America.
If we stretch our imaginations, some of those people we encounter in our daily lives might be super villains, men and women on the street whose role it is to say, "That's the Lone Ranger," to superheroes who save the day and the metropolises we call Innisfail, Penhold or Olds.
While town councillors are far from superheroes, they have characteristics and demeanours in common with "men and women in tights."
As the reporter for all things Penhold, I was recently struck with that thought and it became clear to me that I was in the presence of the Mixed Up League of Fictional TV, Comic Book and Literary Characters.
Town of Penhold mayor Dennis Cooper morphed into Yoda, the Jedi master whose 900 years of knowledge and experience in the ways of the Force were legendary. As Penhold's Jedi leader, his priceless wisdom is available for the asking.
Rick Binnendyk, Penhold's chief administrative officer, melted into the guise of Moses, biblical leader extraordinaire. Speaking on matters of legislative authority and administrative procedure, his word and actions lead others to excellence.
Every town needs a hero, and Penhold boasts two literary giants, the Lone Ranger and Dr. Watson. Mike Walsh and Mike Yargeau patrol the streets and electronic byways of Penhold Proud to defend the weak and chronicle their adventures. Walsh is tall, principled and willing to stand up for truth, justice and the Penhold way, while Yargeau voices the quiet concerns of citizens during council meetings with great passion and pensiveness.
TV sleuth Jessica Fletcher can be found in the guise of Kathy Sitter, and her eye for detail and willingness to enter into committees and meetings to ferret out information is well appreciated.
Looking out for the community is ex-peace officer Cory Kingsfield, or Walt Longmire, sheriff and rugged investigator of Absaroka County whose search for the truth always finds the answers. Like Longmire, Kingsfield's demeanour may fool you; he's always watching.
Penhold may not have a resident cartoon character, but if it did, it would be Sharolyn Sanchez, a.k.a. Velma of Scooby Doo Mysteries. Sanchez, like Velma, is a woman of action. While Scooby and Shaggy are cowering under the benches, Velma is in the thick of things, searching for the truth behind the mystery.
Julia King, or Batwoman, works behind the scenes on her Bat Computer representing Penhold with a firm grasp on her role as a superheroine fighting for the citizens of Penhold wherever her Bat Cycle takes her.
Oh, just in case I forgot to mention it, I'm Captain America, and I am second banana to the highly effective, passionate Mixed Up League of Fictional T V, Comic Book and Literary Characters.
Happy Halloween.
