Victor throws a party for Rita the Rock Planter

Jun 23, 2023

Pikes Peak Courier Reporter

The city of Victor was a happy place last week as hundreds celebrated the completion of the troll Rita the Rock Planter. A sculpture of recycled wood created by Thomas Dambo of Denmark on the Little Grouse Mountain Trail, Rita is a source of joy for the residents.

Before the unveiling Aug. 4 on the trail, the city hosted a party downtown at Pinnacle Plaza. With live music and artists’ booths along 3rd Street, the place was packed with celebrants.

“I love that he did this, that we are all getting together and have something in common,” said Hoss Henderson, who lives Cripple Creek.

The party in Victor for Rita the Rock Planter is bringing people together, said Hoss Henderson of Cripple Creek.

Amy Lueders and Anastasia Ricketts came from Aurora and Castle Rock, respectively, to volunteer with Dambo’s project. They each put a board on the piece, hauled rocks and got rid of debris on the trails.

“It’s cool to be a part of this,” Lueders said.

The two were among dozens of volunteers, locals as well as out-of-towners.

"People traveled to Victor from all over the country to be part of this project,” said Autumn Wallace, who is on the marketing committee of the nonprofit Gold Camp District Impact Group.

Autumn Wallace, who is on the marketing committee of the Gold Camp District Impact Group, helped bring Thomas Dambo to Victor to sculpt Rita the Rock Planter.

Kim Lottig, the organization’s chief executive officer, spearheaded the project, founded the impact group, and invited Dambo to build a second troll in Colorado. The first is in Breckenridge.

Dambo and his troll gave an economic infusion to the city, as the volunteers, some from Oregon, Missouri, and New Mexico, stayed in various places, the Victor, Monarch and Dirty Sally’s hotels, for instance, Wallace said.

Nick and Nora Norwood of Austin, Texas, chose Victor for their vacation.

“We wanted to get away from the heat,” she said. “The prices everywhere are outrageous, so we came here!”

DeAnne Thayer and her husband, Dave Gastl, of Cripple Creek, got in the mood with sandwiches from a food truck parked in the plaza.

“I think it’s going to be awesome,” Thayer said.

The couple, with her daughter and grandson, Sarah and Ezio Joplin, planned to join the crowd at the trailhead and take the short hike to see Rita.

“We’re going to try!” Thayer said.

Tina and Victor Grandmaiter of Florissant were among the hundreds who showed up in Victor to celebrate the city’s distinction as othe second site in Colorado for a Thomas Dambo troll.

Todd Sawmiller took a global view of the celebration.

“You can watch the news and be hatin’ life,” he said. “Here, people are greeting each other, kids are playing, and everybody is happy.”

“Victor is a wonderful place,” Dambo said. In his travels across the country, from east to west, Dambo titles his project “Way of the Bird King,” that includes the trolls and 60 birdhouses.

Dambo, too, caught the mood of the enthusiastic crowd.

“People don’t understand how friendly Americans are,” he said.

The celebration continued through the weekend.

A stunning new sculpture has popped up in Colorado and it's one you'll definitely want to check out.

Pikes Peak Courier Reporter

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