Whirlgigs to abound in Shelburne

by Timothy Gillespie

"Whirligigs are toys for folks of all ages," insists Herschel Specter, co-founder and co-chair of the 9th Annual Whirligig & Weathervane Festival, scheduled for Shelburne's Historic waterfront on Saturday, Sept. 20 and Sunday, Sept. 21. For many years the festival was the only one of its kind in the world, but with the addition of a festival in North Carolina, organizers have to be satisfied as the original and now the only one of its kind in Canada. Prizes for the winning entries total more than $2,000.

As for the variety of whirligigs on display, you would be hard pressed to find better workmanship and more humour than has been the norm for the hundreds of festival entries over the years. Besides the standards of fishwives beating husbands with brooms and old saws chopping wood, the Shelburne festival has seen cows which give real milk, female fighter pilots shooting down would-be Red Barons and delicate, intricate carved pieces depicting signal events in world history.

Two of the keynotes of this year's event, according to co-chair and retired teacher Wayne Blinkhorn, are the several whirligig-making workshops offered and a draw for a round-trip Via Rail ticket to Montreal. The workshops include a three-hour class on Saturday with master craftsman and boatbuilder, Milford Buchanan. The fee of $25 includes all materials and participants will leave with a finished gig. The children’s whirligig building workshop for ages 4 to 11 on Saturday is free and pre-registration with the Town of Shelburne recreation department is suggested by calling 875-3873.

"Via Rail has been so kind in donating a free, round trip train ticket for two from Halifax to Montreal for the festival," adds Blinkhorn. The donated Via Rail tickets for two from Halifax to Montreal have been converted into a fundraising draw, which will be available at the festival both days. "Given the popularity of the event last year and in years past, we expect up to 1,500 visitors this year," says Blinkhorn. “With 15 prizes on many categories surpassing $2,000, we expect a lot of great entries.”