Wilson whirligig park receives $30,000 grant
North Carolina's SmART Initiative program awarded a $30,000 grant to the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park Project.
Posted — UpdatedA grant from North Carolina's SmART Initiative will go towards repairing whirligigs created by folk artist Vollis Simpson, as well as the creation of a 2-acre park and an arts district surrounding the park.
The park aims to attract tourists to Wilson and boost the local economy.
The State Arts Council "understands that this will be a catalyst to move our economy in Wilson and eastern North Carolina into a competitive position in the 21st century," Henry Walston, the project's volunteer chair, said.
More than $2 million dollars has been raised from other sources, such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation.
The whirligig park is on track to open in November 2013.
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