loves of a whirlygig

well it has been a while since my last post but i have been busy, there was no fall break for the whirlygig kids. the friday of the break brought damian, ryan and stephen rogers out to the farm. it was rainy so they had to wait for the rain to subside. what resulted was some very dark, cloud filled images. it gave quite a stark look and will add to the spooky side of this story. rain and curious onlookers spooked these kids so much that they bagged it in instead of staying through on saturday. but the results were spectacular, they shot about 2+ hrs of video and plenty of 35 mm digital shots before calling it a night. ryan confided in me that to stay overnight would be an insane thought, since at that time i thought that i would stay through since i was coming up mon and tuesday. i met damian on saturday afternoon and picked up the equipment since my stage was set for mon and tues.

mon morning came early and i called my friend hannah to let her know we were ready to go. she came and picked me up with the gear and we stopped by some stores to pick up supplies (batteries, tapes, etc). well nothing was open until 10 am so we had to wait for an hour. i noticed hannah was wearing flip flops and i advised her on bringing shoes since this was the country. so we went back to her house and since she was a photography major i asked her what kind of cameras was she bringing. she told me and then she said, " hey i got a fisheye lens camera for my birthday, should we get that?" i was stoked, i said hell yeah so even though we had to wait to leave wilmington, it turned out to be worth it.

so we finally get on the road and 2.5 hrs later we arrive to the farm. vollis is in his shop and just getting ready to start working. i took the hint and decided to go show hannah the farm and let vollis get started. we decided to start w/35 mm film slr since that was why she was there. we spent about 2 hrs taking pictures and shooting some video and super8 mm. it was about 3:30 and i decided to go see how vollis was getting along. i arrived at his shop and saw that unfortunately he was packing in for the day. i thought crap, how am i going to get shots of him working. i asked him what his schedule was for tuesday, and he said he had a doctor appt. but he should be back after 2pm. so about that time, hannah had let the bugs and heat get the best of her and she was heading back to wilmington. we unpacked all of the gear out of her car, and i said thanks and she left. i was completely alone at acid park.

i had made arrangements for a buddy of mine to come and help me shoot camera and the interview i had scheduled for tuesday. he didnt get to acid park until about 6 or 7pm. we were losing daylight fast. i had not stopped shooting footage and film since about 12:30 pm. i decided to call it a day and me and kasey (my friend) started packing up. vollis came by and checked on us, and to lock up the gate. he showed us his arsenal of lights he had rigged up with a car battery in the bed of his truck. they were no joke and lit up quite a bit. he started to feel comfortable around us and started telling us stories of people stealing signs and general mayhem. i was tired and kind of out of it when he told us about the night he actually did shoot somebody, that was on his land. he was shooting a warning shot and actually shot a guy with his shotgun. the crazy old man aspect of the story where he will shoot you...that's completely true. he carries the gun around to defend himself and his land. and if you're messing around with his stuff he has a right to shoot you. i found out the next day that the law and the county is completely on his side and support him. it was pitch black so there would be no filming this story since we were busy filming the sun set on the farm. we did a lot of drive by night shots and filmed the old abandoned house that is part of one legend and some of the abandoned car and left the whirlygig farm to seek a hotel room and food. tomorrow was another day.

put your "hands on a hard body" baby

talkin about hands on a hard body, i would first like to say that i totally had the winner pegged from almost the beginning and felt just as jubilant as him (well maybe not he didnt seem that excited, since the truck was going to be his wife's) i feel that if put in that situation i would also do well, maybe not if i started today, but i could train for sure. this film had a real genuine hometown feel to it and the interior dramas surrounding the people with their hands on the truck. i don't think this doc would have been as good as it was without the prior winners commentary. he added the most to this piece. he had philosophy, technique, and downright good advice on how to win that hardbody nissan truck (look honey, it does have a bench seat, just like you wanted) i think that follow up interviews would also be a good tie up, asking them if they did it again what would they have done different. the strategy of this contest was intricate, the religious woman actually started talking about this and when she saw the camera was on her she changed her dialect from english to spanish. the contest really brought out the worst in her at the end. she seemed bitter, i know she was tired, but i didnt trust her throughout the piece and thought that she didnt have the best interest in mind for the other contestants and would love to have seen her lift her hands off of that truck, since earlier she was playing all those mindgames and ploys to get the other contestants to lift their hands off, she was the only one to actively engage in this competition, and she did this viciously jm

found some more accounts discussed in unexplained mysteries forum, enjoy jm

QUOTE
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Drugs, death depicted in urban legend
Underlying story of Acid Park
Kyle Billings, Staff Writer

October 12, 2004

What is an urban legend? According to Tom Harris on "How Urban Legends Work" (Web site Science.howstuffworks.com/urban-legend.htm), they are unique stories or myths that "are passed from person to person and frequently have the elements of caution, horror or humor." Perhaps the most famous urban legends are the tales of sharp objects in Halloween candy, or temporary tattoos coated with LSD to get people addicted. These tales of horror or morals do not exclude their presence from the students of Greenville. There exists the well-known legend of Acid Park, the LSD inspired monument full of kinetic art, a memorial both praised and clouded with mystery. A few miles outside of Wilson in Lucama, NC, just off Wiggins Mill Road, is a sight you cannot miss.

Vollis Simpson is an artist who has created countless "windmills and whirligigs," which are various large and small kinetic structures that employ the use of easily found tool-shed hardware. The most notable of his creations include around 30 towering monoliths of movement, sound and individual imagination. Simpson has become somewhat of a cult celebrity, his works being featured in such publications as Sign and Symbol, People, and Time. His pieces have also been exhibited in various art museums such as The North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, NC, the Boston Museum and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Ask around the campus of ECU however, and you will hear a different version of the story of Acid Park.

Karen Baldwin, Ph.D., teaches American Folklore 3750, is very familiar with the park, the legend and Simpson himself. She describes Acid Park as a "one of a kind" place that invokes a "great sense of awe" in the sincerest form of the word. As for the urban legend, she asserts that "there are variations with each telling of the story, yet all are focused upon a central theme." The story is based upon the daughter of the maker of the site. The general concept is given as follows:

On prom night, Carol Simpson and boyfriend decide to enjoy the night tripping on acid. Driving home, they approach the five-way intersection on Wiggins Mill Road. With the boyfriend driving at high speeds, the car turns the tricky corner, spins off the road and hits a nearby tree. The daughter dies instantly, but somehow the boyfriend survives and tells the father what happened and what he saw. Windmills now encompass the site of the accident, and were built for Carol Simpson posthumously. While Vollis Simpson's true inspiration of his creation is debated, the legend has it that Mr. Simpson created Acid Park, a collage of unique and unusual windmills and whirligigs, from the description of the boyfriend in his high state of mind. The park is filled with tiny little reflectors that give off an eerie glow when passed by car at night. Also, the car that was crashed that night still remains lodged in its place where it took a turn for the worst.

Usually Acid Park is seen in groups, such as sororities/fraternities, with some people knowing the legend and others experiencing it for the first time. For two Alpha Phi pledges, Mallory Caudle and Nadia Chioariu, their sorority experience included a night trip out to Wilson to see Acid Park. While describing their first look at the monument, Claudle said, "We drove by it first and you see nothing and then all of a sudden you see all these lights and it looks like a carnival kind of, and then we drove back by it and the reflectors were all spinning and stuff." Both ladies agreed that despite being slightly "weird" or unusual, Acid Park itself was not very scary. The scary part was the car. Nadia says, "between all of the reflectors is the road and you go down like a quarter of a mile and the car is there wrapped around a tree ... I wasn't scared or anything until we drove by the car and that freaked me out."

When asked if they would ever go back to Acid Park, both were sure they would.

There are also urban legends known to exist on campus. Among include stories that the odd shape of the Brewster Building, which is said to have been created to protect faculty over the rioting students in the late 1960s. It has been documented there were no riots at ECU, but those who describe the account think otherwise. And as with most urban legends, the facts don't seem to support the stories. Vollis Simpson defiantly denies any such relation of drugs to his artwork, discouraging the legend entirely. The term "Acid Park" was obviously not coined by Vollis Simpson, who does not take kindly to the mention of his creations in that name.

Despite any influence, many take urban legends as fictional hogwash. Urban legends are spread through word of mouth, with many juicy details often added to create the greater story. Many say when the unusual occurs, people resort to enticing tall tales of horror or comedic explanations for the immediate effect. Vollis Simpson even explains the meaning of the reflective light is to warn other drivers of the dangers of the winding intersection. The emotional power of Acid Park is undeniable however, stirring feelings ranging from awe to "being freaked out." Whether or not you believe in urban legends, Acid Park is a place to be witnessed and talked about.

In the weeks that come, if ever you and your friends are looking for a little adventure, take a ride down to Lucama, NC. At night, in the wind-chilled autumn air, your wooded surroundings pitch dark save for the moonlight and the headlights of your car, travel down Wiggins Mill Road. Go to Acid Park and see where your emotions take you.


Just a little something from my neck of the woods.
matthewgoad
Aug 20 2005, 01:03 PM
I can find more info if you are interested in it.
eveningsky339
Aug 20 2005, 01:23 PM
I have actually been to Acid Park. I was on a trip to Virginia, but I went a little out of the way to see it, because I had heard the legends. Really strange stuff.
matthewgoad
Aug 20 2005, 01:48 PM
Oh that's cool. I've only been once and it was pretty freaky stuff. But it was raining, so that could've helped it. The wind was blowing pretty hard.
eveningsky339
Aug 20 2005, 02:06 PM
I saw it at dusk, so I could see the reflectors and stuff. Like a carnival gone horribly, horribly wrong.
bacca
Aug 20 2005, 02:18 PM
to get the full effect you should go late at night and be sure to drive down that dirt path to see the car wrapped around the tree.....there are so many different stories around here about why it's there etc. It sort of ruins it without those....I haven't been in years actually perhaps I need to head out there soon it's always good for a spooky night
matthewgoad
Aug 20 2005, 02:33 PM
Yeah I saw the car it was very freaky.
isis-999
Aug 20 2005, 02:52 PM
QUOTE(matthewgoad @ Aug 20 2005, 09:03 AM)
I can find more info if you are interested in it.
[right][snapback]800840[/snapback][/right]



OMG..matthewgoad, I use to hang out there as a teenager, I have friends who live near the place, I spoke with the old man one night he was out in his shed working, His daughter never died as the story goes, the local teens made it up he told me, to go along with the car being in the tree, It was just a old junk car that a tree grew thru, It's a really cool place, Its right off Wiggins Mill road.


Small world uh..
ABOTU
Aug 20 2005, 02:58 PM
wow creepy... that would be fun to check out. Sweetness
Baldwin
Aug 20 2005, 03:02 PM
yet another place to add to the list of places to go before I expire. Godda be sure to pick up some blotter before I go
Great Big Sea
Aug 20 2005, 05:36 PM
Sad and spooky sounding park.
matthewgoad
Aug 21 2005, 11:39 PM
So some friends and I went to Acid Park last night. It was really cool. It's the first time I've been that it wasn't raining. The reflectors really showed up well and made it look so weird. If you've never been I would really urge you to go. I can't wait to go back.
bacca
Aug 23 2005, 01:43 AM
Mathew I have heard that he has made alot more but from what i remember his fenced in yard was about full years ago.

Are there a lot more up then there was years ago...as I said I haven't been in years I suppose it's one of those things thats right up the road that you never go to
Maekrix
Aug 30 2005, 11:54 AM
..... I'm a little confused on what "Acid Park" is and how its related to the story
matthewgoad
Aug 30 2005, 12:09 PM
Yeah there are some new things up there. He's added some windmills since the first time I went when I was alot younger, but I don't know how long it's been since you were there.
GavinStrife
Aug 31 2005, 04:34 PM
I've been there several times... its about 45-50 mins away from my house, and now its between home and my apartment... the Urban Legend part of Acid Park comes from the park's origin, not to the existence of the park itself. Its a neat place, and worth a look sometime if you're in the area.
Nxt2Hvn
Aug 31 2005, 04:53 PM
WOW.. didn't realize so many people lived near Wilson NC...

I am originally from Rocky Mount and have been to Acid Park several times....

I was surprised to see the title "Acid Park"

COOL
GavinStrife
Aug 31 2005, 04:58 PM
I'd also like to note that I'm a junior at ECU, which is mentioned in the article there, and all but one of my classes is, infact, in the Brewster building... it has 4 wings in a square with a central courtyard, and between each wing is a tunnel... the tunnel has a gate that can be lowered and locked, which does seem a bit odd since I've never seen them locked... and all you would be locking is the central courtyard, it wouldn't keep anyone from getting into the buildings at night.
matthewgoad
Aug 31 2005, 05:04 PM
Yeah I'm in Raleigh, not too far away. So check this out.. A friend of mine went to Acid Park last weekend to see it for the first time and they took pictures.. None of them came out. They took them to be developed and they person there said they had never seen anything like that. It made no sense to them how the pictures could look that way.. Weird, huh?
LyCaN123
Sep 6 2005, 03:19 AM
Could you sum it up a bit because im kinda lazy to read the whole thing
bacca
Sep 7 2005, 12:41 AM
Acid park is just some guys yard....he has been putting together what would you call them windmills? sort of anyway they are big metal art pieces with reflectors or something on them....If you go at night the headlights will reflect over them......note if the winds not blowing and its not dark out it losses something
Anyway there is also a dirt path down the side of the property that has an old wrecked car basically it has a tree growing thru it now....I have heard that there is an old church further down the road, but I personally don't know if that is true....Well if you live here long enough you'll hear stories about the car and the crazy old man who builds those things......apparently none of it is true but it is really trippy to head out there......Is that about it?

Oh and if I'm remembering correctly not very far from there, there is supposed to be i think it's seven bridges road? well anyway the stories go that if you drive one way they'll be one number of bridges but one less when you turn around and come back........this area is full of stuff like that a haunted church that the organ is played every night etc......I haven't read about them in a book but the stories are told here regularly

For the rest of you who also live in the area did I get something wrong or miss something? I feel like i'm forgetting something......
isis-999
Sep 7 2005, 01:33 AM
LOL.. Matthewgaod, And i have talk about this before. I have a very good friend who lives in black creeck.. and we all use to hang out there, Its only about 10 minutes from his house.. Did you guys know it made most huanted list of places in NC.. LOL I know the old man who owns the land and who made all the stuff.. He loves the story that goes along with the place but will tell you it's just a story, his daughter is a nurse in Wilson NC..
lemonlove
Dec 20 2006, 02:29 AM
Hate to bring back such an old thread...but I couldn't resist.

I live in Lucama, NC, home of Acid Park. The whole legend is so absolutely hilarious to me. Vollis Simpson makes the "whirligigs", as they're so fondly called around here, for fun. They've become an art statement. We even have the annual "Whirligig Festival" every fall. Acid Park itself is just his junk yard. However, it is so much fun freaking out people unfamiliar with the legend. I remember loading up a van full of Campbell University students and going with them down there one night. So hilarious!

http://media.www.theeastcarolinian.com/media/storage/paper915/news/2004/10/12/Features/Drugs.Death.Depicted.In.Urban.Legend-2209359.shtml


http://www.folkart.org/mag/vollis/vollis.html

http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com.uncclc.coast.uncwil.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_docid=10660BF408A4CF60&p_docnum=1&p_queryname=7&p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated4&p_nbid=J68C59GPMTE5MDYwODA0MC43NDk1ODE6MToxMjoxNTIuMjAuMjYuMzA

http://www.geocities.com/dyedinthewool/Acid_Park.html

http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com.uncclc.coast.uncwil.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_docid=10660BF408A4CF60&p_docnum=1&p_queryname=7&p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated4&p_nbid=J68C59GPMTE5MDYwODA0MC43NDk1ODE6MToxMjoxNTIuMjAuMjYuMzA

the newsbank articles are being funny i will probably just post the article, later jm

sorry about links below

i will fix links later, for now copy and paste, there are some problems with some of the articles and their access, i will figure this out and update

jm

Here are some articles incl. w/ a brief description

This article from the Daily Reflector in Greenville describes one of the myths surrounding Acid Park. Also says that it got its name apparently because it is the best place on the East Coast to trip acid.

• http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com.uncclc.coast.uncwil.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_docid=108DD72A0CDB00D9&p_docnum=1&p_queryname=6&p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated4&p_nbid=J68C59GPMTE5MDYwODA0MC43NDk1ODE6MToxMjoxNTIuMjAuMjYuMzA

An article from the Greensboro News & Record that discusses Vollis Simpson and how he has become nationally known for his art. Also gives biographical information about Simpson.

• http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com.uncclc.coast.uncwil.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_docid=10660BF408A4CF60&p_docnum=1&p_queryname=7&p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated4&p_nbid=J68C59GPMTE5MDYwODA0MC43NDk1ODE6MToxMjoxNTIuMjAuMjYuMzA
A site with a fairly good picture of Acid Park at night. It also briefly discusses the myth.

• http://www.geocities.com/dyedinthewool/Acid_Park.html
An article that has similar information to the one from Greensboro News & Record but it tells how the car that is wrapped around the tree and also mentions Simpson’s wife’s attitude toward the myths about the park.

• http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com.uncclc.coast.uncwil.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_docid=0EE38B682A341C66&p_docnum=4&p_queryname=8&p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated4&p_nbid=J68C59GPMTE5MDYwODA0MC43NDk1ODE6MToxMjoxNTIuMjAuMjYuMzA

An article from a newspaper that discusses the myth surrounding Acid Park, but also goes into some discussion about the history of urban legends.
• http://media.www.theeastcarolinian.com/media/storage/paper915/news/2004/10/12/Features/Drugs.Death.Depicted.In.Urban.Legend-2209359.shtml

A site that briefly discusses Vollis Simpson’s background, defines “whirligigs” and his position in “outsider art”, and also includes an interview with Simpson about the process of making his artworks.

• http://www.folkart.org/mag/vollis/vollis.html

hello all, well here is most of the overview, there will be more articles

Acid Park: A Legend

who or what is it about?
The mythology and truth surrounding acid park and vollis simpson

what story will it be?
the story will about the different myths that circulate even to this day. from college ghost stories to revenge scenarios, we will break down each one visually, trying to weed out the truth that exists

Five people to interview
Town sheriff
Town librarian/historian
Witnesses to the paranormal
Vox pop (2 or 3) locations
Vollis Simpson
Carol Simpson (Vollis' daughter)
Resident of nearby house in legend

how will you communicate this film stylistically/filmically?
we will communicate this film through many differing images: 16 mm black and white, Super 8 mm color (aged and new), Digital SLR Camera (Nikon D80), 35 mm SLR camera, mini-dv (amateur and professional), rephotography and projection experimentation. All of these techniques will be used to tell this story in levels and segments in an experimental fashion. Also many different types of audio capture will be implemented. The use of vox pop will be crucial to the telling of legend aspect.

drama at film's core
the direct confrontation of the legend and myth of acid park and the ensuing story's real and actual origin.

here are some articles: there are more to come also jm

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=48923
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/offthemap/html/travelogue_artist_7.htm?true
http://www.smm.org/sln/vollis/