Irving, New York: Big Chief: Interstate Muffler Man

Fiberglass statue of an Indian Chief, arm raised in greeting, stands along the Thruway on the Seneca Nation Reservation at the Big Indian Smoke Shop -- where there's another identical Muffler Man Indian figure.

Two Muffler Man Indians are now located at Big Indian Smoke Shop (under new management) on Milestrip Road. One has always been right next to the Thruway, the other surprised me when I pulled in, being right in the parking lot. The one near the Thruway has been moved onto a concrete and steel I-beam billboard structure, complete with lighting for improved night-time visibility. What a great surprise to find not one, but two well painted and well cared for MM Indians at one location.

You have to go all the way back behind the smoke shop and trespass on private property to see this, but it's worth it.

Muffler Man movements can sometimes be very hard to track, and the two Indians in Irving have recently pulled a fast one on us. Indian #2 has stood out by I-90, greeting westbound traffic as they pass with a palm down salute -- while his brother, Indian #1, stood nearby in the front of the Indian Smoke Shop with a palm up salute. A few years ago someone knocked over Indian #1 and he was put in storage for repair. Then along came Muffler Man bandits who pulled down Indian #2 on June 6, 2012, which left both Indians on their backs. So the owners hurried up the restoration of Indian #1 and set him up on the interstate as a replacement; if you look close you will see that the I-90 Indian now has a palm up salute. The good news is that Indian #2 is on the mend and is off site in restoration. It is unknown when and where he will next appear. With these guys you never know.

On June 6, a group of determined hooligans reportedly set upon a lone fiberglass statue standing by the NY State Thruway and toppled it from the spot where it had stood for over a decade. The Muffler Man figure -- an American Indian chief -- is owned by the nearby Big Indian Smoke Shop (where an almost identical figure stands). The highway statue was yanked from its supports and tossed into a ditch. The statue's owners vowed to repair it and put it back up -- and on September 28, they did just that. Welcome back, Big Chief!