Sitting tall | Scene Through the Lens

I came across these hard-hatted construction workers while covering the search for escaped murderer Danilo Cavalcante in northern Chester County this past week (he was eventually captured after a two week manhunt).

The two 16-foot mechanics are part of a lineage of roadside attractions that started in the 1960s and 70s when hundreds of larger-than-life fiberglass figures were placed along the highways and byways across America. The square-jawed versions — with both hands extending out in front of them, one palm up, one down — were dubbed “Muffler Men” in the 1990s by a new generation of road trippers (because most were holding products like tires and mufflers).

A few years ago I photographed a handful of them within an easy drive of Philadelphia.

While Lenny’s “Laborers” are not from that era, they did exactly what they were born to do: draw attention to a business, and I did stop. Of course, it was only to photograph them, but when I went inside the shop to ask about the guys on their roof, I remembered that one of my headlight bulbs had gone out.

They replaced it, and while I waited, their tow truck brought in a vehicle in need of repairs — and it totally remade the scene in front all that much better for my photo. (A red, yellow, or brighter blue car would’ve been even better!)

The two really big men were not on display outdoors in their previous life. I was told they were inside the entryway to the Sears Outlet in nearby Phoenixville (online recollections and comments have them originally holding either tools or hoagies).

Here are a few other really big roadside attractions:

Since 1998, a black-and-white photo has appeared every Monday in staff photographer Tom Gralish’s “Scene Through the Lens” photo column in The Inquirer’s local news section. Here are the most recent, in color: