A communist revolutionary in an Issaquah backyard
SEATTLE — Some people think the statue of Vladimir Lenin which stands in the heart of Fremont is fun, ironic, and part of the quirky charm of the n...
SEATTLE — Some people think the statue of Vladimir Lenin which stands in the heart of Fremont is fun, ironic, and part of the quirky charm of the neighborhood. Others see it as a sinister symbol of totalitarian repression. Either way, Vlad has captured plenty of attention since he first showed up in somebody's backyard in Issaquah back in 1993. That somebody was Lewis Carpenter. You may be surprised to learn he was not a fan of communism or Lenin. Carpenter had been traveling through Slovakia after the fall of the Soviet Union when he discovered the discarded statue, which was about to be melted down and turned into park benches.