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Batman and Robin, the characters that Mr. Kane created with his partner, Bill Finger, nearly 60 years ago, are some of the longest-lived comic-book heroes in the world. They are ''up there with Superman, Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny and Oz, said Paul Levitz, the executive vice president and publisher of DC Comics. In 1938 he started drawing adventure strips, ''Rusty and His Pals'' and ''Clip Carson,'' for National Comics. That same year, a comic-book hero called Superman appeared. Vincent Sullivan, the editor of National Comics, who also owned Superman, asked Mr. Kane and Mr. Finger to come up with a Supercompetitor. They developed Batman on a single weekend. Mr. Kane was 18. The first Batman strip came out in May 1939 in Detective Comics, one year after the debut of Superman. Batman's first adventure was called ''The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.'' And he was another kind of superhero entirely. Batman wasn't as strong as Superman, but he was much more agile, a better dresser and had better contraptions and a cooler place to live.

\"The promotions committee is concentrating on Heritage Day this Saturday,\" committee member Bob Kane said. \"We need volunteers starting from 6:30 in the morning. The parade will take place at 10 o'clock, and the ceremonies will be 11 o'clock after the parade. Of course, we'll have all the great food. We need the help. The event ends at 4 o'clock. The volunteers will put up tents, tables and chairs and then take them down.\"

  The designation announcement was made at Tuesday's monthly meeting by DSI board President Karen Kenderdine, who said she was \"very, very pleased and proud to announce\" the designation. She read a letter to DSI Executive Director and Main Street Manager Mary Luscavage from DCED Community Affairs and Development Deputy Secretary Joseph Meade that provided some details. \"Congratulations! The Department of Community and Economic Development reviewed and accepted your Keystone Main Street designation application. I am pleased to inform you that the department designated the area in your application as the Downtown Shenandoah Main Street Designation. Downtown Shenandoah Inc. will be the administering agency responsible for implementing the revitalization effort in Shenandoah. The designation will begin immediately and end five years later on June 30, 2020.\" [Bob Kane] reminded everyone about the upcoming Pierogy/Kielbasi Golf Tournament at Mountain Valley Golf Course on Friday with a shotgun start at 1 p.m., with lunch provided by Shenandoah's \"Kielbasi Kings\" and Mrs. T's \"Pierogy Queen.\" There are 148 golfers registered, so the tournament is filled. Non-golfers can attend the dinner about 6 p.m. for $25.

The members are Lester W. Paquin, director of the town's senior center; Richard T. Whippee, chairman of the Council on Aging; Quabbin Regional High School Principal Gregory Devine; Petersham Town Administrator Steven Boudreau, and former Police Department emergency dispatcher Kathleen J. Howard. The Marlboro Historical Society, which occupies the 1688 Peter Rice Homestead, received a $4,200 grant from the Marlborough Brigham Family Trust late last year that will fund a portion of the work to fix the slope of the home's yard. The yard currently angles toward the foundation and during rainy days, the basement floods, said Bob Kane, society vice president. The total cost of the work is slated to be between $5,000 and $6,000. Kane said the difference will be paid for using money raised at last year's Festival of Trees and calendar sales.