It's Groundhog Day!

Does French Creek Freddie see his shadow?

Growing up in Pennsylvania, Groundhog Day is a big deal. An even bigger deal is the legend that is Punxsutawney Phil!

If you can’t make the trek to see Phil in all his glory (I haven’t yet, shamefully), you can tune in to a live broadcast. It’s also a tradition to watch the movie, Groundhog Day. Other states have their own traditions.

When I lived in West Virginia, I made a visit to the West Virginia State Wildlife Center in French Creek to partake in their Groundhog Day event. Read on for my visit in 2012:

It’s Groundhog Day at the West Virginia State Wildlife Center, with the state’s official weather prognosticator, French Creek Freddie!

Freddie has undertaken his annual ritual at the Wildlife Center since 1978. Each year, visitors gather with anticipation to witness Freddie’s first glimpse of the new year and his annual prediction. The Wildlife Center staff wake the grumpy rodent and bring him out of hibernation to allow him to look for his shadow and predict the severity of the remaining six weeks of winter.

French Creek Freddie with Superintendent

Superintendent Gene Thorn gave the crowd the history of Groundhog Day and led the singing of the French Creek Freddie song to lure him out of hibernation. So, did Freddie see his shadow? After a little coaxing from his handler, Freddie came out but did not see his shadow, which means early spring weather.

After the ceremony, I took a walking tour of the rest of the wildlife on display, taking advantage of the unseasonably warm temperature and sunshine.

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