{"id":351333,"date":"2026-06-26T11:56:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T11:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/351333\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T11:56:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T11:56:09","slug":"pease-park-trolls-memory-lives-on-in-austinites-the-daily-texan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/351333\/","title":{"rendered":"Pease Park troll\u2019s memory lives on in Austinites \u2013 The Daily Texan"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAttendees of the “An Evening for Malin” memorial pictured around Malin the Fountain trolls water dish in Pease Park on Wednesday, June 24. The memorial honors the Malin’s Fountain troll sculpture that burned down in a fire the morning of May 21, after residing in the park for over two years. \t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

A large metal bowl, filled with water once again, stood on Wednesday as all that remains of Pease Park\u2019s beloved troll, Malin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Around 300 Austinites filled the park in \u201cAn Evening For Malin,\u201d who graced the trail with her presence for a little over two years before burning down in a fire of unknown causes on May 21.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the fire, we\u2019ve seen such an outpouring of love and support from the community,\u201d said Allison Johnson, community engagement director at Pease Park Conservancy. \u201cWe thought it would be a good idea to get everybody together to honor our time with Malin and what that meant to us over the last couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event honored the figure made by Danish artist Thomas Dambo with poetry, live music, painting, speeches and poetry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speakers included Lynne Dobson, whose Tejemos Foundation supported Malin\u2019s construction, Marianne DeLe\u00f3n, former PPC chief revenue officer, Charlotte Herzele, former assistant professor of instruction, who read her original poem and a boy named Miles, who read the poem \u201cMalin\u2019s Fountain<\/a>,\u201d engraved on a stone in the enclave Malin once lived.<\/p>\n

District 10 Council Member Marc Duchen gave a proclamation declaring June 24, 2026 \u201cMalin\u2019s Fountain Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wholeheartedly believe democracy is built in parks,\u201d DeLe\u00f3n said. \u201cAs we approach America 250, I admit I feel unsettled about our state of democracy. The cracks feel wider, and when Malin was destroyed, it felt to me like another crack in something that was already fragile.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dobson and her husband, Greg Wooldridge, wanted to bring Dambo to Austin after seeing his trolls in Maine in 2022. Wooldridge collected the cedar roots used for Malin\u2019s hair over several decades and hand-picked the stones for her necklace. The couple housed Dambo, his family and his team during the build, DeLe\u00f3n said at the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the loss of Malin, the park repurposed her remains. Volunteers handed out \u201cMalin\u2019s Mix\u201d for attendees to use in their gardens. Studio art graduate Corina Perez led a station inviting visitors to create paintings with Malin\u2019s ashes, which Perez herself picked up from the site.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMalin has won the day, despite her short time with us,\u201d Dobson said to the crowd. \u201cWouldn\u2019t you agree?\u201d<\/p>\n

Attendees brought flowers, placing them in Malin\u2019s Fountain. Laura Martinez came by frequently during Malin\u2019s construction, seeing Dambo at work. She said that the community gathering gave her a reason to come back to mourn Malin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI had not had the heart to come before. I just couldn\u2019t see what was left,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cWhen I heard that this was happening, I thought, \u2018I can go and be with community, and I can accept that she isn\u2019t here anymore.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

During her speech, Dobson said she received a text from Dambo. He said he felt honored by the community celebrating Malin and that he hopes to return.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel honored to spend my life building art that brings people together, art that shows our garbage can become something good, a positive energy rather than a negative force breaking our world apart,\u201d Dobson read.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The park, Dambo and the City of Austin will discuss what art they can put in Malin\u2019s place, hoping to make a decision in the next few months, Johnson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Austin Fire Department. The tip line, 1-877-434-7345, is open, looking for any information on the incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was something special,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cAnytime I came, it didn\u2019t matter if it was older people, younger people, kids, there was just this sense of playful community and joyfulness to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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