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Lee Motor Group adds whirligig at dealershipsBy Nicholas Schnittkernschnittken@wilsontimes.com | 252-265-7821A Vollis Simpson whirligig is now on display outside the Lee Motor Group dealerships along Raleigh Road Parkway.“Wilson is known for a lot of great things. A great place to live, great people here, great barbecue, at one time it was really known for antiques, world’s greatest tobacco market,” said Lee Motor Group Chairman John Lee. “Now we’re known for the Whirligig Park, and it brings a lot of people here. And the more people that we can get to Wilson, the better off we’re going to be. What a great and refreshing way to promote your hometown, and we wanted to be part of that.”The whirligig, which depicts a man sawing wood, was previously on display at North Carolina’s Interstate 95 South welcome center before the Wilson County Tourism Development Authority reclaimed it. The board put the whirligig up for auction, and when Lee heard it was available, he knew he had to bid.“I love the history behind the whirligig, and I knew Vollis Simpson,” Lee said. “I didn’t know Vollis well, but I knew him. I admired him. I respected him. I just think it’s one of the coolestthings, and it sets us apart.”The tourism authority accepted bids, starting at $25,000, through Feb. 22.The Lee Motor Group’s winning bid for the whirligig was $27,500.Lee, a Wilson County native, said that while the group operates car dealerships in four states, Wilson is home and he is always willing to help promote Wilson.“Anything I can do to make Wilson better, I want to do,” Lee said. “If it’s Barton College, if it’s the Wilson Tourism Authority, it’s the Whirligig Park, you name it, we want to make it better. Wilson has been very good to us.”The Lee Motor Group’s location along Raleigh Road Parkway, one of the main thoroughfares into town, gave the company a prime location to display the whirligig.“I feel like Raleigh Road Parkway is the entranceway to Wilson, and we just thought it was a great thing to do,” Lee said. “And we’re very proud of it and love the fact that we’ve got one.”Lee added that the whirligig is also visible from the air to pilots descending en route to the Wilson Industrial Air Center.“I can’t help if I’m landing on runway three, I’m going to look down at our whirligig see and see what he’s doing,” he said.
Newspaper Details
Wilson Times
Wilson, North Carolina, US
Fri, Aug 05, 2022
Page 7
Full Page
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Wilson C.
NC, USA 26 Jan 2024
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