Downtown whirligigs will identify Wilson

Last week's announcement that 32 of Vollis Simpson's giant whirligigs will be moved off his farm near Lucama to downtown Wilson is terrific news for Wilson. Simpson's iconic whirligigs have attracted visitors for decades who marvel at the giant wind sculptures and, unfortunately, make up urban myths about their origins. Simpson has been recognized around the world for his whirligigs, which are considered a high form of folk art.

Some details remain to be worked out about moving the whirligigs. I understand the city does not actually own the two-acre site selected for placement of the whirligigs, for example, and funding has not been announced. But Simpson's whirligigs are so well known and admired (examples stand at the N.C. Museum of Art, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Collection at Williamsburg, Va., at Olympic Park in Atlanta, Inner Harbor in Baltimore and numerous other locations) that raising money for this venture shouldn't be so hard. With Simpson in his 90s, it's important to nail down this deal now and plan for the repair, refurbishing and maintenance of these whirligigs.

Last week's announcement points to an important fact: Simpson's whirligigs give Wilson a unique identity. Forget about tobacco festivals, barbecue festivals, "bloomin'" festivals, fall festivals, coastal plain festivals, human domino falls, car shows, rubber duck races and all the rest. Scores of cities and towns can replicate those themes, but few, if any, can claim a whirligig as a symbol of local culture. Wilson's annual Whirligig Festival is growing in popularity and guarantees a unique identity for this town. This is the card Wilson has been dealt; it should play it.