Groundhogs near and far were highlighted last Thursday in the annual Groundhog Day, answering the question of whether spring could come early this year. While this question may seem to have a simple solution, the answer remains unclear as two infamous groundhogs disagreed on their answer.

Last Thursday, the Mennonite Heritage Center held its 9th annual Groundhog Day celebration at 7 am. Harleysville residents honored the holiday by singing groundhog-themed songs and feasting on homemade scrapple. Harleysville Hank the Groundhog arrived at 7:30, announcing that he did not see his shadow, meaning an early spring for North America. The celebration ended with Hank’s girlfriend, Hannah the Groundhog, proposing to him. Hank’s answer was unclear. He was not able to understand because he only speaks Pennsylvania Dutch! Overall, the extravaganza was uplifting and gave hope to those sick of the cold. However, his counterpart in Central Pennsylvania opposed his answer. 

Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog the holiday is based around, predicted 6 more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow yesterday morning. As the most famous groundhog in the world, his predictions should be accurate. Yet according to the Stormfax Weather Almanac, Punxsutawney Phil predicts correctly 40% of the time. This means flipping a coin to predict whether or not spring comes early is more accurate than trusting Phil. This begs the question, which groundhog should you trust? 

Harleysville Hank has no public record and is utilized as a figurehead for the community celebration of midwinter. Punxsutawney Phil is showcased by the media, meaning everyone around the country can participate in the festivities. With the random nature of the holiday, the real question should be if you’re willing to stand out in the cold. With the temperature yesterday morning averaging 20 degrees, Hank’s celebration is not for the faint of heart. Regardless of the groundhog’s predictions, the holiday reminds us that winter is half-way through and that spring is on its way.