What makes it wonderful? |
Wiarton Willie is a magical, weather-predicting groundhog, who may have been summoned from thin air! In 1956, a reporter for the Toronto Star came to Wiarton thinking Mac McKenzie had invited him to a Groundhog Day festival, when it was actually just a party. To give the reporter a story, Mr. McKenzie took off his wife’s fur hat, put it in a makeshift burrow, and made a weather prediction.
Since then, prestige began to grow for Wiarton’s “white groundhog,” and in the 1980s, an actual white groundhog, the first Wiarton Willie, was discovered! Now the centerpiece of a massive yearly festival, Willie’s talent for weather prediction has transcended lifetimes. The Willie in charge now is the third albino groundhog in line, with a fourth waiting in the wing, in case anything should happen to the standing Willie. Long live Wiarton Willie! |
this is amazing! what a very wonderful groundhog and great photos!