Mike Wolanin | The Republic Jeff Britton, from left, holds a microphone as Donju Taylor reads a scroll declaring that Hope the groundhog, held by Kathy Hershey of Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators, is predicting an early Spring during the annual Groundhog Day ceremony on the Hope Town Square in Hope, Ind., Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022.
HOPE — Oh the irony.
Hope residents enjoyed a fun moment when the town’s namesake groundhog didn’t see a shadow and predicted an early spring for Bartholomew County — as the first major winter storm of the season was barreling toward the area Wednesday.
“I personally think it’s a bit ironic that we’re on the verge of a huge winter storm, and we’re asking a groundhog how much winter we have left,” said event participant Jessica Brown of the Yellow Trail Museum after the annual Groundhog’s Day celebration in the Hope Town Square.
Town librarian and participant Dave Miller also acknowledged the impending winter storm will be the primary news, instead of the groundhog.
“But this ceremony is now a tradition,” Miller said. “And while (the 50 in attendance is) a smaller crowd, this is still a fun and successful event.”
In contrast to Hope the groundhog’s prediction, Punxsutawney Phil called for six more weeks of winter when he cast a shadow 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
While such events are played with tongue firmly planted in cheek, Pastor Ed Cottrell of the Hope United Methodist Church said his community seriously needs something like a Groundhog’s Day ceremony to help lift spirits.
“The past two years have had us blocked off from so many people,” Cottrell said. The pastor said a social gathering in the middle of winter “does the soul and the heart good, and will hopefully raise the spirits.”
Ceremony participant Jason Eckert said concern over the severity of the coming storm did take a toll on the festivities.
“But whether it be rain, sleet, snow or hail, we’re going to do this every year,” Eckert said.
With all-day rain well underway when the ceremony began Wednesday morning, Miller admits there was no drama this year on what the groundhog’s prediction would be.
According to folklore: “No shadow she sees. The groundhog has spoken. The winter’s long spell will shortly be broken.”
While the potential severity of the winter storm has created local apprehension, Brian Slater of Columbus helped provide some perspective to south central Indiana residents.
Slater says he comes from a portion of the upper Midwest in the Great Lakes region that regularly gets 12 to 18 inches of snow. It’s also a location where winter starts in October and doesn’t end until May, he said.
“You really can’t count on good weather until June,” Slater said “Down here, it’s much milder and I appreciate it.”
Slater also said he truly believes in the prediction of an early spring.
Is it possible that Slater and the groundhog are seeing the bigger picture more than the rest of us?
While frigid weather is expected for another week, daily highs will mostly be in the 30s from the middle of next week through Feb. 16, according to the Accuweather long-term forecast.
Beginning shortly after Valentine’s Day, Accuweather is calling for daily highs mostly in the 40s, gradually settling into the 50s during the last few days of the month and the first week of March.
There was a genuinely touching moment Wednesday when event participant Susan Thayer Fye read a tribute to the town’s original prognosticating varmint.
Grubby – whose predictions from 2015 to 2020 turned out to be more accurate than those made by Punxsutawney Phil – died at age 6 last April.
“No more awakening from your slumber, no more shadows to see, no more prognosticating predictions to make, no more winter spells to be broken,” Thayer-Fye proclaimed. “Rest in peace, our sweet Grubby.”
