Some Stars
.....who are scared of the sun :-))
Punxsutawney Phil
Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog and
the most famous resident of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. On February 2nd of each
year, the town of Punxsutawney celebrates the beloved groundhog with a festive
atmosphere of music and food. During the ceremony, which begins well before
the winter sunrise, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler's Knob,
located in a rural area about 2 miles east of town. According to the tradition,
if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, the United States will suffer
six more weeks of winter. If Phil does not see his shadow, spring will arrive
early. The date of Phil's prognostication is known as Groundhog Day in the United
States and Canada. During the rest of the year, Phil lives in the town library
with his "wife" Phyllis.
A club of Phil enthusiasts, known as
the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, take care of the famed rodent year-round. A
select group, called the Inner Circle, also plan the annual ceremony. Members
of the Inner Circle are recognizable by their top hats and tuxedos.
Staten Island Chuck
Staten Island Chuck is a groundhog who
resides in the Staten Island Zoo in Staten Island, New York in the United States.
He is noted as the official groundhog meteorologist of New York City who predicts
the duration of winter each February 2 on Groundhog Day. He makes the prediction
based on whether or not he sees his shadow at 7:30 A.M. on Groundhog Day. The
ceremony at the zoo is often attended and officiated by the Mayor of New York
City.
The Staten Island Zoo claims that Chuck
has correctly predicted the duration of winter 80% of the time since the 1980s.
Wiarton Willie
Wiarton Willie was a famous Canadian
groundhog who lived in the community of Wiarton in Bruce County, Ontario. Every
February 2, on Groundhog Day, Willie took part in the local Wiarton Willie Festival.
His role was to predict if there would be an early spring or not.
Unlike other weather predicting groundhogs
like Punxsutawney Phil (from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania), Willie was an albino.
There has been more than one Willie over
the years. The original Willie was famously found dead, in his burrow three
days before the scheduled appearance in 1999. That year's festival became a
memorial for the special rodent, though his keeper claims that Willie provided
his prediction before his death. He was replaced the following year, by another
albino groundhog.
Other Celebrity Groundhogs
Birmingham Bill
Bill, the groundhog, lives at the Birmingham Zoo in Birmingham, Alabama. Bill
makes his annual weather-predicting appearance at 10 am on Saturday, February
2 - Southern groundhogs like to sleep in late!
Buckeye Chuck
A February tradition for many years, the Ohio General Assembly declared 'Buckeye
Chuck' from Marion, OH, the State Groundhog in 1979.
Chester from St. Louis
Chester, the official weather prognosticating groundhog for the St. Louis Zoo,
is known for his accurate predictions.
Claude the Crawfish
Louisiana gets into the action with its very own weather-prognosticating crawfish?
Dunkirk Dave
A famous weather-predicting groundhog living in Dunkirk, New York.
French Creek Freddy
French Creek Freddy, who makes his home at the West Virginia Wildlife Center,
has predicted West Virginia weather for about 25 years.
General Beauregard Lee
The official weather prognosticating groundhog from the state of Georgia.
Jimmy the Groundhog
Jimmy hails from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, the true Groundhog Capital of the World
according to the natives.
Malverne Mel
As if New York didn't already have enough weather-predicting groundhogs, Malverne
Mel began his prognositicating career in Long Island in 1996.
Octarara Orphie
Punxsutawney Phil's neighborly rival, Octarara Orphie, is claimed in Lancaster
County PA as the king of the whistle pig prognosticators.
Peewee, the Woodchuck
The newest weather predicting groundhog on the block, from Mile Square Farm
in Vermont's Green Mountains.
Pennichuck Chuck
A newcomer to the world of weather forecasting groundhogs, Pennichuck Chuck
of Hollis, New Hampshire claims to have a different way of predicting the weather.
Shubenacadie Sam
The Shubenacadie Wildlife Park's local meteorologist in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Claims to be the first weather predicting groundhog in Canada.
Sir Walter Wally
Sir Walter Wally and Friends of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
invite you to participate in their annual statewide celebration of Groundhog
Day.
Unadilla Bill
Groundhog Unadilla Bill looks for his shadow in Unadilla - the groundhog capital
of Nebraska.
