Groundhog Day with Wiarton Willie, Punxsutawney Phil and Shubenacadie Sam + more!
Ranked #11,690 in Holidays & Celebrations, #201,881 overall
56th Annual Wiarton Willie Festival Feb 1st - 5th
The celebratory activities will begin at 7 am and include: shows, dancing and public speeches from local politicians and event organizers. There will be a pancake breakfast, circus performances, a lumberjack show, a pilgrimage of 300 snowmobilers and a Beatles tribute. At night, fireworks are scheduled for 7:30 pm, followed by rock entertainment from 'Skarni and the Caverners'.
Activities are scheduled for the 5-day festival and on February 4th, David Usher is scheduled to perform. A fun-filled day for the kids is planned for February 5th including R & B, gospel music and live comedy. [Source of 2012 events: The Toronto Sun]
It all began when Wiarton's most famous resident, Mac McKenzie sent out a press release to have a party for a hundred of his closest friends. A lone reporter somehow showed up and asked Mac, "Where is the groundhog?" Apparently he threw a fur hat into the snow and a photo was taken by the reporter. This was how it all began 56 years ago . . . just a fun party!
Last year, a bad winter storm hit southwestern Ontario on February 1st, 2011. Environment Canada assured us that the worst of was expected to remain south of Wiarton across to Ottawa. Yet, the turnout was less than hoped for - due mainly to the weather. But Willie, the albino groundhog still made his prediction (under protective cover).
So set your alarms, Willie the albino groundhog is still scheduled to make his prediction at 8:07 a.m sharp (EST) on February 2nd for either an early spring or six more weeks of winter.
Intro photo source: AlicePopkorn on flickr / Licensed under Creative Commons
This was created on February 1st, 2011. All rights reserved. Copyright 2011 sousababy
Do not 'tag' the work of others. Protected by CopyGator. Do not copy, steal or plagiarize.
Did you know about Wiarton Willie before?
Do you think Wiarton Willie will be right?
Yes, an early spring, here's why:
SecondHandJoe says:
Well, here in NY this year, we really haven't had a winter yet. It is Feb. 9, 2012 and I haven't even hauled my boat out of the water. I don't think there is very much time left for winter to linger!. BTW- it's 47 degrees in NY and sunny! Come on spring!
kathysart says:
I don't know.. maybe so I am going to say yes.
goo2eyes says:
definitely. all groundhogs predict correctly eversince their qualities are known to mankind. if not, we can only rationalize that they are just confused due to global warming.
goo2eyes says:
definitely. all groundhogs predict correctly eversince their qualities are known to mankind. if not, we can't blame them- blame it to the global warming. we have to rationalize that groundhogs are only confused.
goo2eyes says:
definitely. all groundhogs present correct predictions without fail. we have to believe that spring will come soon and this belief will help. if not, we can't blame them because they're confused. blame the global warming.
Nah, 6 more weeks of winter:
Steve_Kaye says:
What is winter? I live in Southern California.
sousababy says:
Oh, I will have to update this tomorrow to include Ohio's Buckeye Chuck (MaxReily) also mentioned him, I believe.
Aquavel says:
The Groundhog is always right, although I don't know what his prediction will be this year. Weather conditions seem to be off-kilter everywhere these days.
I'll be listening to Phil for the local forecast from Punxsutawney, and Wiarton will make his annual proclamation for Canada.
Great lens! Aquavel (Originally from Punxsutaney)
babycarseats says:
in australia it is difficult to say as we are in the middle of a beautiful summer
MaxReily says:
I always wish for an early spring, but I have to be realistic. On the first day of spring where I live, it's usually snowing.
I'd love to go, but where exactly IS Wiarton?
3 hours from Toronto (faster if you live northwest of the city):
From downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, here are the directions:1. Head south on Bay St toward Queen St W 86 m
2. Turn right to stay on Bay St 1.0 km
3. Turn right at Lake Shore Blvd W W 160 m
4. Slight right toward Gardiner Expy W 140 m
5. Take the Gardiner Expressway W ramp 450 m
6. Merge onto Gardiner Expy W 13.1 km
7. Take the ON-427/Brown's Line/Sherway Gardens Road exit toward ON-421 600 m
8. Keep right at the fork, follow signs for ON-427/ON-401 and merge onto ON-427 N 7.6 km
9. Take the exit on the left toward ON-401 W 1.5 km
10. Merge onto ON-401 W 4.1 km
11. Take exit 344 to merge onto ON-410 N toward Brampton 22.1 km
12. Continue onto ON-10 N 48.3 km
13. Turn left at ON-10 N/ON-89 W (signs for Shelburne/Collingwood/Owen Sound) 5.4 km
14. Turn right at Owen Sound St/ON-10 N (signs for Dundalk) Continue to follow ON-10 N 83.6 km
15. Turn left at 10th St E/ON-21 S/ON-6 N (signs for Tobermory/Southampton) Continue to follow ON-21 S/ON-6 N 5.4 km
16. Turn right at ON-6 N (signs for Shallow Lake/Wiarton) 14.6 km
17. Turn right at Bruce St/ON-6 N (signs for Ontario 6 N/Wiarton/Tobermory) Continue to follow ON-6 N 11.9 km
Wiarton Willie Festival Map
Wiarton Willie is a hit with the kids . . .
Last year, 2011 Wiarton Willie predicts . . .
Punxsutawney Phil of Pennsylvania, USA
is the famous groundhog who is featured in the movie Groundhog Day
For the true story and more Punxsutawney Phil
Aquavel is an active member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club:
Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Official Groundhog Handler Ben Hughes holding Punxsutawney Phil 2011
Credit: Jason Cohn / Reuters
How accurate is Punxsutawney Phil?
About "39 percent of the time" according to the vice president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, "Our president is the only person in the world who is gifted to understand the language of Groundhogese."
Source: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/02/groundhog_day_prediction_2012_did_punxsutawney_phil_see_his_shadow.html
Groundhog Day the movie
(as always, in order from lower to higher in price)
Please comment if you've seen these movies:
P.S. I thought they were great. I'm a big Mike Myers fan too.
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Steve_Kaye
Mar 13, 2012 @ 10:35 am | delete
- Groundhog Day is a fantastic movie with a great message.
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SecondHandJoe
Feb 9, 2012 @ 3:25 pm | delete
- Groundhog day Blu-ray, excellent! I saw the original 10 times at least and now own Blu-ray and it's even better!
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kathysart
Feb 5, 2012 @ 1:13 pm | delete
- Nope I haven't.. I should try.
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gypsyman27
Feb 2, 2012 @ 11:47 am | delete
- I stopped by because it is Groundhog's Day, and I wanted to take a look here again. At least I can 'Pin' this now. We are running out of places to let others know when we have something we want to announce. (Amplify is still not working) I hope you are well, dear friend. Sending you my love. See you around the galaxy...
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goo2eyes
Feb 2, 2012 @ 10:43 am | delete
- i tried to leave my comments in the duel module but system would not let me. anyway, i will leave my message here: definitely, i believe that the groundhogs will predict correctly as they always did. if not, we can't blame them for the failure, blame the global warming which make the groundhogs confused. *blessings*
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sousababy
Feb 2, 2012 @ 10:52 am | delete
- Dear goo2eyes,
I have it set up to approve first (or it could be the large amount of visitors) so sorry about that!
Sincerely,
Rose
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d-artist Feb 2, 2012 @ 9:23 am | delete
- Saw the fun Movie "Groundhog Day"
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JDWheeler
Feb 2, 2012 @ 8:39 am | delete
- I was so hoping "I got you babe" would be on the clock radio when I woke up this morning!
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billybraveheart
Feb 1, 2012 @ 5:16 pm | delete
- Thanks for sharing
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MaxReily
Jan 31, 2012 @ 6:15 pm | delete
- I loved the movie Groundhog Day, but haven't seen So I Married an Axe Murderer. I hope that all the groundhogs predict an early spring! Not getting my hopes up too much, though.
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My dear friend Raphaelo created a lens . . .
in which you can purchase all things groundhog, check it out:
Groundhog books for all ages . . .
(generally in order from lower to higher in price - some prices fluctuate)
For the groundhog lover in your life . . .
Seasonal fluctuations in price for some (all under $20.00 on 01/26/2012)
2010 Wiarton Willie saw his shadow
2011 Wiarton Willie did NOT see his shadow
2012 Wiarton Willie did NOT see his shadow
Quick Quiz
What do you think of Wiarton Willie?
Shubenacadie Sam
is Nova Scotia's groundhog . . .
Shubenacadie Sam from Canada's east coast
Photo credit: Eric Wynne / The Canadian Press
How accurate are Canada's groundhogs?
Wiarton Willie and Shubenacadie Sam "are only about 33 per cent accurate in their predictions"
says CBC meteorologist
Johanna Wagstaffe.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/02/02/groundhog-day.html
2011 Final Prediction: all 3 said spring was near!
Credit: Andrew Vaughan / The Canadian Press
2012 Final Prediction: Willie and Sam think spring is near; Punxsutawney Phil says 6 weeks of winter!
Photo source: EJP Photo on flickr / Licensed under Creative Commons
Of the 3 groundhogs in this lens . . .
(feel free to qualify your answer further with a comment, if you wish)
Thank you to my readers
For letting me know about other weather forecasting groundhogs.
I have added some photos and their predictions, as follows:
Ohio's Buckeye Chuck predicts an early spring!
Credit: Bill Sinden / The Marion Star
Ever think a groundhog would make a good pet?
From lensmaster wheresthekarma, read on about Chuckie the groundhog:
Staten Island Chuck did not see his shadow either!
Credit: AP Photo / Office of the Mayor, Spencer T. Tucker
There are (at least) 22 groundhogs I could find . . .
Anyone can enter a response, comments approved first, regret no HTML:
Let us know what YOUR groundhog predicted (please include name of groundhog and where s/he resides). I added in some:
An early spring (did not see his / her shadow):
6 more weeks of winter (saw his / her shadow):
sousababy says:
Sir Walter Wally (Raleigh, North Carolina)
sousababy says:
Grady the Groundhog (Chimney Rock, North Carolina)
sousababy says:
Malverne Mel (Malverne, New York)
sousababy says:
Balzac Billy (Alberta, Canada)
sousababy says:
Fred the groundhog in Val d'Espoir,(NE of Montreal), Quebec, Canada
Please vote up for your favorite groundhog . . .
If you know of any others, please let me know and I shall add them too:
Source: http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/20293--groundhog-wiarton-willie-fails-to-see-shadow-predicts-early-spring
1
Punxsutawney Phil
2 points
2
Shubenacadie Sam
2 points
3
Staten Island Chuck
2 points
4
Wiarton Willie
1 point
5
Buckeye Chuck
1 point
6
Balzac Billy (Alberta, Canada)
1 point
7
General Beauregard Lee (Georgia)
1 point
8
Fred the groundhog in Val d'Espoir (N.E. of Montreal in the Gaspé, Canada)
1 point
9
Brandon Bob (Brandon, Manitoba, Canada)
0 points
10
Gary the Groundhog (Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada)
0 points
11
Birmingham Bill (Birmingham, Alabama)
0 points
12
Chester (St. Louis)
0 points
13
Dunkirk Dave (Dunkirk, New York)
0 points
14
French Creek Freddy (West Virigina)
0 points
15
Jimmy the Groundhog (Sun Prairie, Wisconsin)
0 points
16
Malverne Mel (Long Island, N.Y)
0 points
17
Octarara Orphie (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
0 points
18
Peewee, the Woodchuck (Vermont)
0 points
19
Pennichuck Chuck (Hollis, New Hampshire)
0 points
20
Sir Walter Wally (North Carolina)
0 points
21
Unadilla Bill (Unadilla, Nebraska)
0 points
22
Grady the Groundhog (Chimney Rock, North Carolina)
0 points
“Hope you enjoyed this little intro to
North America's
most famous groundhogs.”
Do I deserve a thumbs up?
Please note: I am not on Twitter as sousababy (someone else is).
This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.
Like this? Here's my latest animal humor article:
I love to know who dropped by for a visit. . .
as always, feel free to leave a question or suggestion too:
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SecondHandJoe
Feb 9, 2012 @ 3:33 pm | delete
- Why did I have so much fun here!? Thanks Rose! ps- I can't believe that none of these furry critters are even correct half of the time. . . what do they know. :)
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kathysart
Feb 5, 2012 @ 1:16 pm | delete
- Yup, I was here.. answered your questions and stuff and had a great time! Blessed.
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wheresthekarma
Feb 5, 2012 @ 4:04 am | delete
- I used to have a pet groudhog :)
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Tipi
Feb 3, 2012 @ 12:28 pm | delete
- Returning for the fun this year and brining a little angel dust to toss over the festivities!
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goo2eyes
Feb 2, 2012 @ 10:50 am | delete
- maybe the shadows of the groundhogs were not seen because there was no sun? happy groundhog day. brrrrr! the ice queen is really in action. spring queen should come soon.
thanks for sharing this lens and best regards to all canadians.
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- Every year this amazes me, especially this year it's so different this Winter here in WI. hardly any snow (oops I won't say that too loud, knock on wood) Great lens!
from ~d-artist a Squid Angel Blessing~
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Aquavel
Feb 2, 2012 @ 7:54 am | delete
- A few minutes ago "Punxsutawney Phil" predicted 6 more weeks of winter weather and we need it! The reports from the other Groundhog weather seers should be coming in shortly! Happy Groundhog Day!
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sousababy
Feb 2, 2012 @ 10:54 am | delete
- Bless your heart for letting me know before I could access it here in Canada. Happy Groundhog Day!
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AkitaJitsu
Feb 1, 2012 @ 6:17 pm | delete
- Great lens! Those pictures of Sam are just too cute!
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MaxReily
Jan 31, 2012 @ 6:21 pm | delete
- Cute lens, and informative too! I just happened upon it in time!
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Rose (aka sousababy)
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