By MARK HIGGINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Famous Frement denizens

Some of Fremont's most famous faces belong to public works of art that have captured the heart and imagination of Seattleites:

Standing at the north end of the Fremont Bridge, these five aluminum commuters (and one dog) have waited since 1978 for a ride that never came. Decorating the statues with seasonal apparel, political signs and other props has become a Seattle tradition. Look closely and you'll notice that the dog has a human face. Sculptor Richard Beyer modeled the face after Armen Napoleon Stepanian (seated at right), once known as the "Mayor of Fremont," because of a dispute the two were having at the time. (Read more about it.)

A giant, car-eating troll lives beneath the Aurora Avenue Bridge at North 36th Street. The troll's home was a rat-infested eyesore in 1989 when the Fremont Community Council received a city grant to do something about it. Exactly what was decided by people attending the Fremont Fair, who voted for the giant troll proposed by a group of local artists. The sculpture was erected in 1991 and has since become something of a local celebrity -- enough of one to spark lawsuits by its creators against businesses seeking to capitalize on its image. (And yes, that's a real VW bug it's clutching.)

Yes, that's Vladimir Lenin, late communist dictator, standing at the corner of 36th and Evanston. The 7-ton, 18-foot-high statue was apparently imported from Slovakia in 1993 by an Issaquah man. Not surprisingly, it's been an object of controversy as well as novelty.