Imagine being a dog park denizen, dark sky enthusiast, or disc golfer used to frequenting the normally sleepy Ninigret Park in Charlestown and on your next visit finding two new residents, giant trolls made of recycled wooden pallets, bamboo, rope, and quahog shells, have turned the space into the state’s hottest new tourist destination. Unless you’ve been sleeping under a bridge, the information has been public since the South County Tourism Council lured world-renowned artist, Thomas Dambo, to include Rhode Island on his list of homes for his larger-than-life creations.
Louise Bishop, President and CEO of South County Tourism told a crowd Friday she first heard of the trolls while looking through a magazine when stuck in a Puerto Rican airport and knew she wanted to bring them to the area. After the artist, who is best known for using recycled materials, bicycled up to the press event Friday morning, Bishop joked about traveling over “Three whole bridges to get here,” and launched into the economics of how 30 million tourists visited the area in 2022, generating $1 billion in economic activity, and by bringing in a world-class art exhibit, it would increase that number and possibly extend the seasons.
Charlestown Town Council President, Deb Carney was very excited that the town had been chosen for the location of the first two trolls in the trail and was effusive in her praise for the work the South County Tourism staff, the artist, his team, and all the volunteers did to make it all happen. Councilor Richard “Rippy” Serra pointed out, “We now have an international destination right here in Charlestown.”
The artist was engaging and funny when he finally got to answer questions. When asked if children could climb on the trolls he deadpanned, “Trolls are ticklish – no climbing on the trolls.”
Dambo also responded to a question about trolls eating children by saying, “Yes, trolls will still eat bad children.”
He also let it be known that more trolls were coming to Rhode Island in the future, that the two trolls at Ninigret are named, Erik Rock, and Greta Granite, and that when finished, each troll would reveal a clue about finding the “Thunderstone.”
With ABBA’s “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme” blaring in the background, the team worked to complete the second giant work of art Friday afternoon just as many of the volunteers who had worked on the project arrived to celebrate the opening.
The work crew was an eclectic blend of Europeans and North Americans that I met the night before when they put the finishing touches on Erik and whooped it up before opening several varieties of local beers. A crew member from Denmark noted that we had several great local breweries, as he toasted me with a can from Shaidzon in South Kingstown. When asked about the wood used and if there was anything used to protect it from the elements, he told me the trolls in Denmark experienced weather coming off the North Sea, and then told me the trolls in the jungles had the hardest times because termites were the biggest issues.
Now that the work is complete, visitors are invited to the park to find the trolls. While Erik is easily located, his companion isn’t as easy to find, and that is by design. Ninigret Park is a large facility with many trails, and part of the mission is to get people outdoors, enjoying nature, the sun, fresh air, and exercising, so Greta is the shy troll that needs to be found.
Ninigret Park is open Sunday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. It is located at 5 Park Lane, Charlestown, RI.