If you walk through Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park this weekend, three of its 30 sculptures may be missing. The park says Guitar Player, Carousel Bomber and Flying Duck will come down this season for its fall conservation work. In the conservation workshop, artisans repair the metalwork, refresh the paint and rebuild worn moving parts. At the same time, Wilson Arts is collecting whirligigs built in local garages, kitchens and classrooms. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, November 6, the day before the 22nd North Carolina Whirligig Festival opens downtown.
Simpson's park keeps spinning because people keep rebuilding it, and the contest asks the rest of Wilson to work the way he did: start with found materials and build something that turns in the wind.
What the workshop is doing to Guitar Player, Carousel Bomber and Flying Duck
Repair work is routine for these pieces. The Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park conservation team checks the sculptures on a regular schedule and does conservation work two to four times a year. That includes greasing bolts and fans, making repairs, repainting and putting pieces back up. Every fall the team repairs, repaints and stabilizes Simpson's wind-powered sculptures. This season, the park says three of them will be removed and restored in the conservation workshop.
It helps to know what the conservators are working on. Simpson built with salvage: road signs, HVAC and ceiling fans, bicycles, industrial rollers, aluminum sheeting, wood and steel rods. He cut old road signs into small squares so the pieces would catch and reflect light. The North Carolina Museum of Art owns a Simpson sculpture and lists its materials as recycled fan blades, bicycle rims and industrial truck parts. That piece was refurbished in 2016. Salvaged parts wear out, so pieces built from them have to be repaired over and over.
The contest rules follow Simpson's method
The 2026 Build Your Own Whirligig contest sets three requirements. According to Wilson Arts' entry form, every entry has to meet these:
YOUR WHIRLIGIG SHOULD BE MADE WITH NO LESS THAN 50% FOUND/REPURPOSED MATERIALS
IT SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST ONE SPINNING COMPONANT AND BE ABLE TO SPIN INDEPENDENTLY
YOUR WHIRLIGIG SHOULD BE ABLE TO STAND ON ITS OWN
Those are the same basics that make Simpson's work what it is, scaled down to the size of a garage. The form tells entrants to dig through the backyard, scour the garage or raid the recycling bin. It also says a whirligig "can be tall, small, wide, or even themed" as long as it spins. The form sets no maximum size.
There are three categories, and the winner of each gets $250. Second and third place get ribbons.
| Category | Who it's for |
|---|---|
| Professional Artist / Business | Builders with access to professional tools, materials and equipment |
| Amateur | Individuals or groups, ages 17 and older, building at home |
| Youth | Ages 17 and under, individual or group, including school projects and church youth groups if every participant is 17 or under |
Winning whirligigs from earlier festivals can't be entered again, so last year's winners won't be back in the running. Just before judging, each entry's name label is removed or covered so the judges don't know who built it.
If you're finishing one in the garage tonight
If you're reading this on Thursday, November 5, you have until 5 p.m. Friday, November 6. Entry is free, but you have to preregister. Here's the order of steps on the form:
- Register on the Wilson Arts entry form. Pick one category and give your whirligig a name and a description.
- Attach a label or sign with the whirligig's name, its category and your name.
- Bring it to the Wilson Arts Center at 204 Nash St. S by 5 p.m. Friday, November 6.
- Judging is Saturday, November 7, at the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park stage. Awards are usually announced between 2 and 3 p.m., and you don't have to be there to win.
- Pick up your entry by 7 p.m. Sunday, November 8. Unclaimed entries become the property of the North Carolina Whirligig Festival.
Prize money is mailed within 30 days after the festival closes. For questions about the contest, the form lists Dee Dee Oliver, Visual Arts Coordinator for Wilson Arts, at [email protected].
The weekend by the clock
The festival is free. It runs Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, November 8, from noon to 5 p.m. Here's how the contest deadlines fit around those hours:
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Friday, Nov. 6, 5 p.m. | Build Your Own Whirligig entries due at Wilson Arts Center |
| Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. | Festival opens downtown |
| Saturday afternoon | Photo Competition winners announced at the Whirligig Park stage |
| Saturday, about 2 to 3 p.m. | Build Your Own Whirligig awards, usually announced in this window |
| Sunday, Nov. 8, noon | Festival reopens |
| Sunday, 6 p.m. | Whirligig entries stay on display until this time, per the entry form |
| Sunday, 7 p.m. | Last call to pick up whirligig entries |
The festival homepage lists Sunday's hours as ending at 5 p.m., but the entry form keeps the homemade whirligigs up until 6. So if you go late Sunday, you'll still be inside the window the form gives.
Two more handmade contests on the grounds
The whirligig contest is one of three that Wilson Arts runs for the festival, and all three ask people to make something by hand.
The Sidewalk Chalk Art Competition is in its eighth year at Whirligig Park. It's open to all ages, and entries can be 2D or 3D. Prizes are $250 for 3D/Professional, $150 for Amateur and $100 for Youth, ages 17 and under. Registration closed October 31, so this year it's one to watch on the sidewalks around the park.
The Photo Competition closed to entries on October 24. It's open to photographers 18 and older, and the subject is the festival itself or Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park. Entries are judged on creativity and how well they represent the theme, and they hang in Studio 1 at the Wilson Arts Center during the festival. Best in Show wins $250. Honorable Mention wins $100, and so does People's Choice, which festival-goers vote on.
The photo contest fits this year's theme, too. Some of those framed photos may show Guitar Player, Carousel Bomber or Flying Duck in the park, and the sculptures themselves won't be back until the workshop is done.
Getting from the stages to the museum
The festival covers about eight downtown blocks around the park, with several live-music stages, art demonstrations and a free kids zone. The festival's music page lists two stages on both days, the Whirligig Park Stage and the Come See Wilson Stage. The festival counts about 250 vendors in all, mixed together along the closed streets instead of grouped by type. Food vendors alone number about 40, a mix of Wilson regulars and vendors from farther away. Everything the festival itself provides is free, from the inflatables to the Kids Zone.
To get around, the festival's transportation page points to Shuttle Works. It shows shuttles and rickshaws in real time, so you can see how far away your ride is. The festival hasn't posted its 2026 guide and map yet, so check its homepage before you head out.
With three sculptures headed to the workshop, the best place to see the rest of Simpson's story is the Whirligig Museum & Gift Shop at 230 Goldsboro St. SW, Suite 201. It's open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., so Saturday of festival weekend is your chance during the event. The phone number is 252-674-1352. The park also has a documentary and Simpson's full story online if you'd like the background before you go.
Next on the Nash Street calendar
After the festival, downtown's next big gathering is the Wilson Christmas Parade. It steps off at 11 a.m. Saturday, December 5, on Nash Street. The City has set up a quiet sensory block at Whitehead and Bruton streets for anyone who wants a calmer spot to watch. By then, the conservation team may have the three restored whirligigs back on their poles. The park will post that news itself, so check its site when the parade gets closer.
Here at Integrity Realty Group, LLC, we like seeing neighbors put something they made out in public, whether it's a whirligig built from a garage cleanout or a chalk drawing on a downtown sidewalk. If you live in Wilson and you'd like to talk about the town, its weekends or your own plans, give us a call. We'll answer your questions plainly and take things at your pace. Make Every Move With Integrity.
