* F R E M O N T * T R O L L *

The FREMONT TROLL was constructed in 1991 under Seattle's biggest bridge. Funded by the City through a grant administered by the Fremont Arts Council, the Troll was sculpted by Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter, and Ross Whitehead (who won a design competition), and stands 18 feet tall.* That's a real VW Beetle the Troll is crushing.

Our picture shows the Troll in his spookiest aspect at TROLLOWEEN, a wild parade and counterculture event held in the streets of the Fremont District every Halloween. Glowing jack-o'-lanterns, hand-made luminaria, costume skits, and uninhibited drumming and dancing before the Troll statue kick off the festivities. For this event, the great grey Presence is bathed in eerie orange light, accompanied by a gigantic spider crawling over his shoulder, and decked out with a nose-ring (actually made from the rim of a bicycle wheel.)

The Troll serves as a gauge of community sentiment, as was seen after the tragic bus crash of November 27, 1998 took place only a block away from his lair under the bridge. Within days, a black tear of mourning materialized under the Troll's eye, while the nearby bridge piers became a de facto shrine to the victims of the crash, expressing the community's shock and solidarity in the face of a monstrous crime. A cleansing ritual was held on the site to guide away lost spirits and bad energy left over from the crash, followed by a public ceremony which sought closure to the incident.

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*The Fremont Troll is a copyright property of the Troll Artists: © 1991 by Steve Badanes, Will Martin, and Ross Whitehead; photo by Larry Neilson, used with permission of the artists.

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