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Let's hear it for the Belleville Superfriends!

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, there was a cartoon series called "Superfriends" featuring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and a bevy of other comic superheroes. They are the inspiration for a group of regulars who appear regularly at downtown Belleville bars. Here's the roster of the Belleville Superfriends:

Brother George: Brother George is the most famous of the Belleville Superfriends, having been immortalized in a T-shirt designed by Beatnik's. He once was a columnist for the satirical newspaper The News Rocket, but his run-ins with bar owners and the law led to the end of his column. But you still can get the shirt featuring this Belleville legend.

Margeruite: Also known as the Good Girl of Karaoke, she is well-known for her interpretation of Patsy Cline's "Crazy" and nearly as well-known for her ability to mooch beer. It's bad enough she drinks Bud Light, but she makes it even worse by putting ice in it. Despite that, she is the kindest and gentlest of the Belleville Superfriends.

Al: Al can be seen at downtown bars cleaning up the tables -- and drinking the remnants of the beverages left on the table and the bar. Al is always willing to engage in conversation, and no one is a stranger to this Superfriend. After he's through making his point in a mumbling, incoherent manner, he often says, "That's all I have to say." That, of course, begs the question of what the heck he said in the first place!

The BB Gun Killer: OK, he's not really a killer, but this Superfriend's claim to fame is getting into a fight outside a downtown bar and firing at someone with a BB gun. The guy's more than willing to share unsolicited advice to strangers, and his gaze makes you wonder what's going on in that active mind. Sometime, the excitement is too much for him to bear, so he falls asleep at the bar.

The Superfriends indeed help make downtown Belleville what it is today!

Roger 0 comments 2:28 PM