POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Polk County man is devoting a lot of his time to appearing as “The Incredible Hulk” at local events. Most of the appearances are for charities. Underneath that huge Hulk outfit is a man with a big heart for kids. Marc Rimes has a couple of reasons for that big heart.
On a recent Saturday evening, Rimes appeared as the “Hulk” at the Auburndale Speedway. Lots of small children wanted to give his massive Hulk character a hug. Rimes said he loves seeing the smiles and children’s faces when they see him.
“I don’t do it to get recognized. I don’t do this for recognition,” said Rimes. “I do this to put a smile on someone’s face.”
Rimes’ girlfriend Candice Holiday is a big believer in Rimes’ efforts. “It’s mostly the lower-class kids who need that extra boost in life,” she said. “That’s what we do. We come out and put smiles on faces.”
Rimes said he grew up in boys’ homes and foster care, so he is sensitive to a child needing to feel love. “I grew up in a life where I fought to be loved. And I want to be there for a kid who needs a smile or a hug. I want to be there to give hope,” he said.
Rimes has a son named Chance who is on the autism spectrum. Chance appears with Rimes at events dressed as the character Groot from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies. Rimes is dedicated to autism awareness. “Everybody needs the awareness. Everybody needs to know we can include our children. Not one child is the same on the spectrum. But they don’t have to be treated differently,” he said.
Rimes has a sports car decked out with superhero logos and autism awareness messages that he takes to his events. “When you see it come down the road you can’t miss it. It also has my son dressed up as one of the superheroes on the side of the car.” Rimes said his car is part of the Cars Racing for the Dream organization.
Rimes often appears with other local residents who dress up superheroes. They are called Superheroes for Hire. The group held parades for a terminally ill boy named Braxton Criss. Braxton passed away. At the Auburndale Speedway event, Chance dressed as Groot presented Braxton’s mom Jessica Criss with one of his previous Groot outfits.
Criss is thankful for what all the superheroes did for her son before he died. “Honored that they gave us memories that we wouldn’t have had otherwise, and they made Braxton’s last moments incredibly special,” she said.
Rimes was also hailed as a hero recently for running to a neighbor’s home that was on fire and using a garden hose to fight the flames before firefighters got there.
Rick Elmhorst
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