Building on a Family’s Legacy: Amber Walter

For Amber Walter, helping build Fjord Færgemand offered a chance to contribute to a community that has been part of her family’s story for generations.

Her father, Tom Sorensen, grew up in the community, and Amber spent many cherished visits with her grandparents, Howard and Karma Sorensen. She remembers when the idea of a Danish museum in Elk Horn was still just that—an idea—and later watched as the project was realized. Over the years, the Museum of Danish America became part of her family’s story, with her MorMor, Nadjeschda Overgaard, even being featured in an exhibition.

When an opportunity arose to help build a Thomas Dambo troll at the Museum, Amber knew she had to find a way to be involved and signed up for the only day she was available during the build. It was worth rearranging her schedule.

Continuing a Family Tradition

Amber remembers hearing stories about her grandfather helping rebuild the Danish Windmill in Elk Horn. As a child, her father would have assisted with the project, too. Amber grew up seeing her grandfather’s photographs from the windmill’s construction and hearing about the role her family played in bringing that landmark to the community.

Now, decades later, Amber found herself taking part in another ambitious project in Elk Horn.

“It’s not quite the windmill,” she said, “but to be a part of this build made me think of my family ties. It’s generational now.”

That connection made the experience feel especially meaningful. In volunteering to help build Fjord, Amber was adding her own chapter to a family history that has been intertwined with Elk Horn for generations.

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  Amber Walter

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  Nadjeschda Overgaard, Amber’s MorMor.

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  Amber’s grandpa, Howard Sorensen.

From Troll Hunter to Troll Builder

Amber’s interest in Thomas Dambo’s work began with a visit to her first troll, Rita the Rock Planter in Victor, Colorado. Like so many people who encounter Dambo’s larger-than-life creations, she quickly understood the appeal.

However, seeing a troll is one thing. Helping build one is something entirely different.

Being part of Fjord’s construction was, as Amber described it, “surreal.” The chance to work alongside the team and watch a large-scale sculpture made from recycled wood take shape gave her a new appreciation for the people and effort behind Dambo’s creations.

The team, she recalls, was immensely kind, and the experience is one she knows she will cherish for years to come.

Watching Fjord Find Her Place

Since Fjord has poled onto the prairie, Amber has enjoyed watching the troll become part of the community she has known for so much of her life.

She has seen people from all over visit Elk Horn, share photographs with Fjord, and add the sculpture to their own adventures. Naturally, she has taken plenty of photographs herself.

With this being said, one moment stands out above all the pictures.

Amber’s grandmother, Karma Sorensen, thought what she had done was pretty amazing.

“If nothing else was worth it,” Amber said, “hearing her say that was priceless.”

It is a fitting sentiment for a project that has connected so many people. Fjord may be new to Elk Horn, but for Amber, becoming part of her story also meant reconnecting with a much older one—the story of her family, the community, and the Danish-American heritage that brought them together.

A Troll for a Danish Community

Amber hopes Fjord will continue to become more than a sculpture people stop to photograph. She can envision her becoming part of the community’s celebrations and traditions—a gathering place for a picnic, a backdrop for story time, or perhaps even the setting for a Christmas event.

There is something fitting about that idea. Fjord was built by a community of people who came together to give her life. Now, she has the opportunity to bring people together in return.

For Amber, that is part of what makes the project so special. She came to Elk Horn to spend a day helping build a troll and left with a memory she says she will cherish forever.

And she also carried forward a family tradition: just as her grandfather helped build one of Elk Horn’s most recognizable landmarks, Amber helped build another.

The windmill and Fjord may be separated by decades, materials, and a very different kind of construction—but both are reminders of what can happen when people come together to build something that becomes part of a community’s story.