It’s Adam West Day in Walla Walla!

Today (Sept.19) the city of Walla Walla celebrates Adam West Day! As a huge Batman fan I was lucky enough to go last year. It was so neat seeing the whole city honor the great actor. The younger generation has only enjoyed Adam West as the mayor of Quahog, R.I., in the cartoon "Family Guy," but for the rest of us, we remember him fondly from roles in "Geronimo," "The Three Stooges: The Outlaws is Coming" and of course for many of us, our first introduction to "Batman."

When I went to the event last year, my wife asked me why I cared so much. Well, we all have people we look up to, Batman was one of my idols. Growing up, I (born in 1981) missed Adam West's era of dawning the cape & cowl (1966-68), but before Keaton & Burton brought Batman to the big screen in 1989, Adam West with his campy take on the Dark Knight, along with his lessons to Robin (Burt Ward) about importance of proper grammar, seat belts, & shark repellent, was and in many ways is still, my idol.

Adam West was born  Sept. 19, 1928 in Walla Walla. Last year, the city held their first annual Adam West Day in order to honor and celebrate the life and career of West. Stores through out the city had "Bat-Signals" in their windows to help celebrate as well as alert tourists/customers of event specials inside. The event went all day, starting with Walla Walla's mayor giving West's family the key to the city, followed by speeches and thanks from family members and close friends

A citywide tour of where West lived, learned & laughed. The night concluded with a special video tribute to Adam, going through his many roles, and life. From his beginnings in Walla Walla to moving and living in Hollywood, CA. His numerous acting roles and guest appearances in such shows as Gunsmoke, The Outer Limits, Love Boat, Fantasy Island and many many more, including voice over roles he did with animated Batman features, Goosebumps, The Simpsons & of course, Family Guy. The celebration would not be complete without of course the lighting of the Bat-Signal.

The celebration was made even more epic with special guest Clint Young. He is the top Adam West Batman impersonator in the United States and owner of the the 1966 Lincoln Futura aka The Batmobile. I was lucky enough to meet Clint, but it was when I realized that "The Bright Knight" never fought crime in the rain. Due to sprinkles the car was kept in the trailer until later on in the evening (which sadly I was not able to attend).

This year (Wednesday, 9/19/2019) not only is Clint back with the car that all chicks dig, but the celebration looks to bring the "Bat-Bike" and "Bat-Copter" seen in the original TV show and movie. Adam West day kicks off at 11 a.m. in downtown Walla Walla on First and Main streets, and all citywide events are free! For more details on this year's Adam West Day, check out their Facebook Page. And to answer the question, will I be attending this year... sadly no, (stupid work and being an adult) but I will be there in spirit as I am sure so is Mr. West.