Here's how to find out what the Triangle's groundhogs, Sir Walter Wally and Snerd, have to say about spring
Tuesday is Groundhog Day, and though COVID has squashed the usual in-person events to mark the day, local groundhogs will still be busy prognosticating.
I wrote about these last week, but wanted to pull the information into one post for people who are eager for spring—or a longer winter.
Raleigh's Groundhog Day celebration
Sir Walter Wally, who is regularly featured on The Weather Channel's list of national Groundhog Day representatives, will be making his annual weather prognostication virtually via the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences' YouTube channel on Tuesday.
This year’s event will held from noon to 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 2. You can tune in to hear museum educators present the history of Groundhog Day and natural facts about these amazing rodents, according to a press release.
Then you can sing along with a museum educator as she guides you through an original rendition of the Groundhog Day song. Finally, you can watch the shadow ceremony broadcast live from Wally’s socially distant home in Roan Mountain State Park, Tenn. Raleigh Mayor Pro Tem Nicole Stewart and Museum Director Eric Dorfman will join museum educator Chris Smith to assist Wally with the forecast, the press release says. If he sees his shadow, they say we'll see six more weeks of winter.
Garner's Groundhog Day celebration
At noon, Feb. 2, the Garner Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources' Facebook page will premiere the town's Groundhog Day video. The video will start with Garner Mayor Ken Marshburn sharing Snerd's prediction. That will be followed by a program by CLAWS, a nonprofit that rehabilitates wildlife, rescues exotic pets and educates us all about them.
Also, Historic Yates Mill County Park will be hosting a virtual program called Wizened Woodchurcks & Weather Predictors from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., Monday, Feb. 1. This also takes part online and is designed for kids ages 6 and up. Check the website for registration information.
