CASTRO VALLEY NEWS YEAR 2
NO. 1
WWW.CASTROVALLEYTV.COM
NOVEMBER 2014
Castro Valley Resident Saves Legendary “Big Mike” Like most
Originally installed in the late 60’s, Mike held a bucket and scrubber to advertise “Morris Car Wash”. He outlived the car wash and another business called “Tyre Treads” that came after. In 2011, Mike vanished from Mission Boulevard and was spotted in Castro Valley, just before Palo Verde Road.
Castro Valley and Hayward residents — Bruce Kennedy has plenty nostalgic affinity for eye-catching roadside advertisement “Big Mike” — the iconic 20-foot man once posted up on Mission Boulevard in Hayward.
There was a bit of repair needed to be done to Mike after he was purchased. He had holes in his legs and feet that needed patching in addition to at least one gunshot hole (yes, someone shot Mike) that required some mending.
Kennedy’s affinity goes a bit deeper than most…. he purchased Big Mike. “I remember driving by him as a kid,” said Kennedy, who bought Mike a few years back, had him fully restored and now displays Mike and a few other gigantic fiberglass “friends” such as a cowboy, Santa and a “Mortimer Snerd” giant that looks like Alfred E. Newman from MAD Magazine.
Big Mike is back in Hayward on National Avenue at Bell Plastics where he gets plenty of attention from folks traveling down memory lane wanting to see him again.
Above: “Big Mike” as he was seen on Mission Boulevard in Hayward since the late 1960’s. Right: Restored and repaired, “Big Mike” once again stands tall in Hayward.
Kennedy says his giants have become local celebrities...
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