Published: May 07, 2009 12:26 am      

Big sculptures celebrate heritage of Route 30

SOMERSET — Scenic Route 30 through Somerset County now has even more nostalgia and interest.

Officials of the Lincoln Highway Association, along with students and teachers of the Somerset County Technology Center, on Wednesday unveiled a sculpture depicting a man and woman on a bicycle built for two in the early 20th century.

The sculpture sits on land belonging to Georgia and Vic Sheftic at the Second Time Around shop just west of the highway’s intersection with Route 219.

At 17 feet tall, 22 feet wide and one-quarter inch thick, it is one of five Roadside Giants of the Lincoln Highway stretching from Westmoreland to Franklin counties.

The Roadside Giants are the brainchild of Olga Herbert, executive director of the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor. The sculptures were developed to draw attention to the historic east-west roadway and provide a learning experience for high school students.

“It’s a way of teaching the kids about the Lincoln Highway,” Herbert said. “We’re also updating our driving guide to reflect all five of the roadside giants.”

All of the giants were designed and built by career and technology students in schools along the historic highway.

The schools split a $50,000 grant from the nonprofit Sprout Fund of the Community Connections – Pittsburgh 250th Group.

Each giant had to be symbolic of something from the period of 1913 to 1940

– the heyday of Route 30.

Choosing the theme was the easy part. Somerset County is known for its trails and recreational opportunities, including the Great Allegheny Passage, said Leah Cominsky, corridor marketing manager.

The tough part was design and production of the biking couple, said William Snyder, a senior at the tech center who along with Jake Lenhart did much of the welding.

“It had some ups and downs, especially with the dimensions,” Snyder said.

“But we got experience working with other people and a lot of experience working with blueprints.”

Drafting student John Labuda also played a pivotal role in developing the sculpture.

Set to be installed later this month is an oversized quarter with George Washington’s profile near the Down River Golf course just east of Everett, a replica of a 1921 apple truck in Franklin County and a Packard car in central Westmoreland County.

A 1940s gas pump was installed in April in Ligonier Township.

The giants are reminiscent of eye-catching landmarks erected in the 1920s and ’30s by Route 30 merchants concerned that faster-moving traffic was passing them by, Herbert said.

Examples are the Coffee Pot, a 21/2-story building recently restored in Bedford, and York’s Shoe House.

In recent years, a number of roadside murals have been painted on Route 30 properties, including barns near Stoystown and Schellsburg. The murals depict life along Lincoln Highway.

“It’s almost like a scavenger hunt,” Herbert said.

Highland Tank and Manufacturing moved the bicycle to the site, and Weyand Sign Co. handled installation.