Hobo Joe has called Buckeye home since 1989, but its origins are disputed. Photo: Jeremy Duda/Axios
Congratulations to Robyn Johnson, the first reader to give us the correct answer to last week's "Where in the Valley?" feature.
The 23-foot fiberglass statue is in downtown Buckeye, where an ever-increasing population is familiarizing itself with the local landmark.
State of play: The statue is modeled off the Hobo Joe mascot of the eponymous restaurant chain that operated in the Valley from the 1960s-1980s.
The public art arrived in Buckeye in 1989, when Ray Gillum placed it in front of his Gillum Meat Co., on Monroe Avenue.
The statute came down after Gillum's property was sold in 2016. The Buckeye Main Street Coalition bought, restored and erected it at its current location in downtown Buckeye in 2021.
The intrigue: The Arizona Republic reported in 2014 that the statue's origins are disputed.
