Did you see the bat signal in the Des Moines sky Sunday night? You weren't dreaming.
On Sunday night, the Des Moines skyline was emblazoned with a familiar, if unusual, iconography.
The bat signal burned against the side of the Marriott and the Ruan Center Building in downtown Des Moines on May 15, not because the Riddler put out a nefarious new puzzle or because Two-Face decided to rob the Second National Bank. The comic book-based call for a caped crusader came on because of a photo shoot held by the Iowa League of Heroes over the course of about two hours that night.
The league uses comic book heroes like Batman, Spider-man and more, to encourage positivity for Iowa families. The group often visits children in hospitals and appears at various other community events.
"It has been a whirlwind weekend for the league and we can't wait to tell you about all the adventures," reads a May 16 post from the organization's Facebook page. "We are also super excited to show you what we are working on, but we have to make certain logistics are locked in before we do that."
Below the post is a video of a duo dressed as Batman and Batgirl bringing the bat signal to the top of the Equitable Building and posing for photos with Michael Giacchino's musical theme for "The Batman" edited to play in the background.
On May 17, the Iowa League of Heroes wrote in an e-mail to the Register that the photos are intended to help promote World Batman Day on Sept. 17. World Batman Day, first held in 2014 in tandem with the comic book hero's 75th anniversary, currently lands on the third Saturday in September.
More details about what the Iowa League of Heroes specifically hopes to do in tandem will com as the date approaches.
Isaac Hamlet covers arts, entertainment and culture at the Des Moines Register. Reach him at ihamlet@gannett.com or 319-600-2124, follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Why the bat signal appeared in downtown Des Moines
