Warner Bros. PicturesBURLINGTON, Vt. -
Vermont's senior senator, Patrick Leahy, is a huge Batman fan. And Sunday evening, Leahy helped to bring the comic book hero's newest Hollywood hit to Vermont.
Vermonters Sunday got the first look at the Dark Knight Rises, one day before Monday's World Premiere, and the general audience release July 20th.
Senator Leahy had a brief cameo in the previous film, and takes another stab at acting in the sequel.
He swung a pre-release showing for Vermonters Sunday night. But, before movie-goers hit the theatre, Leahy and his big-screen counterpart, had a mystery to solve at the Montpelier library.
There they met young fans like 4-year-old "Bat Guy" - aka Cashel Higgins. "I'm a superhero everyday and I can't remember all of the pretend super heroes I've made," Higgins said.
"I had my first library card here -- I think I was probably 4-years-old. I practically lived in here. I would read everything I could get my hands on," Sen. Leahy said.
Sunday, Leahy read a new book to those in attendance at the children's library that now bears his name.
He says years ago, he buried himself in Robert Louis Stevenson, Dickens, and of course, the Batman comics.
The senator credits the library for making his career possible. "If you learn to read and love to read, everything in the world is possible to you," he said.
As long as you remember your utility belt. "And I'm going to be him when I grow up," Higgins said.
All of the proceeds from Sunday's screening, as well as the Senator's royalties from the film, will benefit the Echo Center and Montpelier's Kellogg-Hubbard Library.
