SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Everyone has a passion — and for Kim Larson, it’s turning blocks of wood into something that dances in the wind.

“I blow these up and put them on patterns,” Larson said. “Then I transfer them over and pounce them to powder onto the board.”

As a lifelong Notre Dame fan, Lsrson set out to create something unique: a leprechaun whirligig.

“From there, then I can trace the pattern on to wood and cut the wood out,” Larson said. “Then you just trace and get your lines all proper and of course paint them.”

These aren’t your ordinary leprechauns — these handcrafted whirligigs don’t watch over pots of gold, but they do bring a special kind of magic… the 8-foot-tall, 300-pound kind.

“Of course, you see the finished product from the pattern,” Larson said. “I paint them a

See Full Page