Madison Dedicates New Weathervane for Riverfront Lamplighter Gazebo Donated by the Grote Family

Located on downtown Madison’s beautiful riverfront boardwalk, Grote’s Lamplighter Gazebo was donated to the city by the Grote family in 1996 and originally topped with a sculpted weathervane depicting the historic City of Madison steamboat. When the weathervane disappeared some years ago, Bill Grote, Chairman of the Board, enlisted Rodney Kelley, a longtime employee in Grote’s model shop, to begin work on a replacement.

Ultimately, illness forced him to pass the project on to Ed Ricketts, another Grote team member, who completed Rodney’s design, producing the striking sculpture below. The new weathervane was dedicated at a ceremony this week and will soon be remounted atop the gazebo to help celebrate Madison history and beautify the riverfront.

L-R: Madison Mayor Bob Courtney, President & CEO Dominic Grote, Debra Kelley (Rodney’s widow), COO John Grote, Deputy Mayor Tony Steinhardt