Watch a whirligig at the Whirligig Festival

What’s a whirligig? That’s a common question best answered in the small Piedmont town of Wilson. Whirligigs are three-dimensional jigsaw puzzles of spray-painted metal and flashing reflectors that all move and chime with the wind. They were created by folk artist Vollis Simpson. Simpson, who passed away in 2013, started making and erecting his whimsical, moveable art structures in the early 1980s, and his whirligigs can been seen here and there throughout the South. But the best collections, and the only official Whirligig Festival celebrating them, are in Wilson. The Wilson Whirligig Festival each November celebrates art and people in motion and features many children’s activities. The 2017 festival coincides with the Nov. 2 grand opening of the downtown Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park, a one-of-a-kind art park to celebrate its namesake and act as a home for his many creations.