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Grand opening of Firefly Grove Park with its resident troll

Firefly Grove Park opens with a bang! And a troll.

June 3, 2025  |  Topics: Events, Places


By Eddee Daniel

The main attraction is the 24-foot tall, lamppost-crunching troll, the first of its kind in Wisconsin. But brand-new Firefly Grove Park has a lot more going for it than being a selfie spot with a sculptural troll. Hundreds of people, it seemed to me, came out on May 28 for the official grand opening of the park, people of all ages. Many if not most likely came out of curiosity, to see the troll, which had gotten a lot of attention in the news. But they didn’t just walk in for a selfie and leave again. The whole park was bursting with activity, as you can clearly see in the photos.

The grand opening of Firefly Grove Park brought out the crowds.
The grand opening of Firefly Grove Park brought out the crowds.

The troll has a name: Mama Rosa (rhymes with Wauwatosa). She is the latest addition to the oeuvre of Danish artist Thomas Dambo. He has built well over a hundred larger-than-life trolls throughout the world. Each has its own personality. In this case, Mama Rosa has a liking for lampposts. Her quirk, being 24 feet tall (and a troll), is to pluck them like flowers. She holds a “bouquet” of them in one hand and lifts one with the other as if to smell it.

Close up of Mama Rosa, the sculptural troll by Danish artist Thomas Dambo.
Close up of Mama Rosa, the sculptural troll by Danish artist Thomas Dambo.

Two things make this theme especially compelling for me. First, you can walk around finding the broken-off stubs of the lampposts that she has already plucked. I observed many people, including delighted children, discovering this on their own in various spots around the park. Even more compelling is the back story.

A girl discovers one of the broken lampposts.
A girl discovers one of the broken lampposts.

Dambo found the lampposts in the Wauwatosa dump (which, not so coincidentally, sits adjacent to the new park). It seems that the city had decided to replace the old, traditional-looking posts in the Village section of Wauwatosa with new ones. Dambo is a champion of reclamation and recycling. In fact, Mama Rosa, like all of his trolls, is made entirely of local and recycled materials. As a Wauwatosa taxpayer myself, it seems to me the City could learn a little from his example. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that new lighting fixtures would have cost $300,000, whereas the cost of refurbishing and reinstalling the old ones came to $60,000. The fact that, according to the City of Wauwatosa website, no taxpayer funds were used in constructing the park misses the point.

The main entrance to the park on the corner of 116th St. and W. Gilbert in Wauwatosa.
The main entrance to the park on the corner of 116th St. and W. Gilbert in Wauwatosa.

In fact, sustainability is among the features touted in Firefly Grove Park. The repurposed lamps have been upgraded with energy-efficient LED bulbs and are illuminated using solar power from an on-site array. The pathways in the park use permeable pavement that allows rain water to seep through, which is just part of a stormwater management system that is said to have a capacity of 600,000 gallons per storm event. Engineered wetlands, another part of this system, are being planted with native species. There is even a small remnant natural wetland to help with biodiversity, along with serving as a visual barrier between the park and the City’s service yard next door.

A small natural wetland was left intact as a buffer between the park and the city service yard.
A small natural wetland was left intact as a buffer between the park and the city service yard.

I’m all for sustainability and biodiversity. In fact, these things need to be considered normal and expected when anything is designed these days, in my opinion. But especially when we’re talking about a park. However, the real reason all these people came to Firefly Grove is because it’s fun!

I came back the following day with my two grandchildren. After the obligatory photo op session with Mama Rosa, they both got busy having fun too.

Scenes from the Grand Opening of Firefly Grove Park

This firefly bench is one of five artist-designed benches in the park.
This firefly bench is one of five artist-designed benches in the park.
Another firefly bench.
Another firefly bench.
Willow hut.
Willow hut.
The new bicycle pump track got quite a workout on opening day.
The new bicycle pump track got quite a workout on opening day.
There was enough room for the little kids to ride on the pump track, too.
There was enough room for the little kids to ride on the pump track, too.
A pathway through the more secluded southeast corner of the park leads to Walnut St.
A pathway through the more secluded southeast corner of the park leads to Walnut St.
Choke cherry bushes in bloom along the path.
Choke cherry bushes in bloom along the path.
Some people just need a patch of grass to enjoy the park.
Some people just need a patch of grass to enjoy the park.

For more information about Firefly Grove Park go to the City of Wauwatosa website or the Discover Wauwatosa website.

Firefly Grove Park and Mama Rosa in the news:

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee Magazine

CBS58 News Milwaukee

Eddee Daniel is a board member of Preserve Our Parks, an independent nonprofit advocate for parks and open spaces in SE Wisconsin.


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