This whirligig features gravediggers moving their pickaxes and a preacher waving his arms. LINK to my YouTube video of the 2022 Shelburne Whirligig Festival
What’s a whirligig? 🤪
A whirligig is a mechanical, wind-powered gizmo. When the wind blows the fans, the mechanical parts move. Artists can be creative and tell stories with their whirligigs, like this wife nagging her husband ⬇️
In this whirligig, the wind moves the husband’s mouth up and down to say “Yes, dear” while the wife pounds a rolling pin into her palm. 😂
or this duck trying to shoot the hunter by distracting him with a naked lady! 🦆⬇️
In this whirligig, a duck moves his gun up and down to aim at the hunter while a topless lady teases the hunter with her bikini top.
Where’s this Whirligig Festival?
This festival has been held annually in September since 2000 in the little coastal town of Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada. My mom and I were there in 2022 on a family history tour. Our trip just happened to coincide with the festival, so we went. We’d never heard of it before then. There’s also a festival in North Carolina that’s been going on for over 20 years.
Iconic sign for the Shelburne Whirligig Festival