John Lindon: The Man Behind the Sign

As most locals know by now, the Castro Valley welcome sign — aka the "canoe" sign — that sent locals into a tizzy back in 1997 has managed to rile people up more than a decade after its demise.

Created by Sheila Klein, an artist based in Washington state, the sign, which now sits in a storage unit in Dublin, has been the subject of a heated debate in the community for the past few months.

Castro Valley resident John Lindon is at least partly to blame.

The self-described geek who troubleshoots electronic problems for Kaiser Permanente told members of the Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) earlier this year that he wants the sign back in commission in Castro Valley.

Lindon has since handed the issue over to the Alameda County Planning Department.

"It's much bigger than me now," he said, adding that community members seem most concerned with the costs of mounting and lighting the sign.

Lindon said while it may cost about $10,000 to remount the sign, it would cost nearly $100,000 to create a new one.

Reporter Nora Heston chatted with him recently.

Why take on such a cause?

In my opinion, the sign fit the character of Castro Valley in a good way. A welcome sign or some sort of sign is a good idea and we have one in a warehouse.

How would you describe that "character?"

Castro Valley has a lot of the essence of Route 66, and so does that sign. The original Route 66 ran through Castro Valley. There's a sense of freedom, sense of the open road, sense of opportunity and adventure.

Can you describe the sign in your own words?

I think the sign speaks for itself. That's the thing about art. The sign is sort of over the top. It's definitely eye-catching and it borders on gaudy, but that's also part of its charm. It's 20 feet wide, 19 feet high and it has bright colors. It's more warm and inviting than distinguished looking.

Why do you think the sign came down so quickly in 1997?

The reaction of the town was, 'How dare the county come in and enforce their rules and their character on us?'

What do you know about the meaning of the sign?

The canoe was supposed to be a representation of a Native American tribe who used to live in Castro Valley.

This idea of yours really took off. How did it begin?

In the open speech part of the MAC meeting, I floated the idea of having it resurrected. People were intrigued by [the suggestion].

Where do you think the sign should go, if your idea is approved?

The place I wanted it was the big bend of Foothill Boulevard by Neighborhood Church. There's a big, open area there. Based on the public response, that's a no-go. People have maybe six or eight portals for it, so we'll see.