Woodstock Willie Doesn’t See His Shadow

Posted on February 2, 2007 by Roger

An article in the local newspaper, by Jen Wiant.

Woodstock Willie is held up to a crowd gathered in the Woodstock Square Friday morning at the annual Woodstock Groundhog Day event. He did not see his shadow, indicating an early Spring.

Woodstock Willie predicted that spring will come early this year.

The groundhog emerged from his stump on the Woodstock Square just after 7 a.m. Friday in front of a crowd of about 100 people who braved the 3-degree temperatures to see what he had to say. Woodstock Mayor Brian Sager put his ear next to the groundhog, listened for a few seconds and declared that Willie had definitely not seen his shadow this morning.

In Punxsutawney, Pa., groundhog Punxsutawney Phil came to the same conclusion.

Third-grader Katy Holub, who came to see Woodstock Willie with her mother before going to school, said she was a little disappointed by the prediction. “I was hoping for a little more winter because I like to go ice skating,” she said.

Bonnie Strom and her husband, Stan Latos, of Woodstock, said Friday was the first time that they attended the early morning prognostication and breakfast. “I heard about it on the radio and thought it sounded like fun,” Strom said over breakfast in the old courthouse building on the Square, where a polka band entertained diners. “I will [be back next year] because I forgot my camera this time,” she said.

Sue Carolan has been to see Woodstock Willie every year since watching the filming of “Groundhog Day” on the Square 15 years ago, she said. “I was on maternity leave when it was filmed. Now, my son is turning 15,” she explained while waiting to get a picture of Willie to put in the scrapbook she had kept since 1992.

Despite the frigid temperature and early hour, those who turned out for the prognostication seemed to be in good spirits, including Sager. “It’s an interesting and joyful tradition we have in Woodstock,” he said.

Groundhog Days festivities continue throughout the weekend.

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the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather

Posted on February 2, 2007 by Roger

The ceremony took place in the gazebo, not on a separate stage like in the movie. A polka band filed up, including a guy in lederhosen with bare knees. A guy in a groundhog costume followed with a police escort. The band played (poorly) the Pennsylvania Polka, the song that was playing in the movie, then the band leader and the mayor sang a duet of Take Me Out of the Tree Stump.

Richard Henzel, one of the actors who did the D.J. voices heard on the radio every morning in the movie, greeted everybody and read his lines (and the lines of the other D.J.):

First D.J.: Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don’t forget your booties ’cause it’s cooooold out there today.
Second D.J.: It’s coooold out there every day. What is this, Miami Beach?
First D.J.: Not hardly. And you know, you can expect hazardous travel later today with that, you know, that, uh, that blizzard thing.
Second D.J.: [mockingly] That blizzard – thing. That blizzard – thing. Oh, well, here’s the report! The National Weather Service is calling for a “big blizzard thing!”
First D.J.: Yessss, they are. But you know, there’s another reason why today is especially exciting.
Second D.J.: Especially cold!
First D.J.: Especially cold, okay, but the big question on everybody’s lips …
Second D.J.: On their chapped lips …
First D.J.: On their chapped lips, right: Do ya think Phil is gonna come out and see his shadow?
Second D.J.: Punxsutawney Phil!
First D.J.: Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers – it’s
[in unison]
First D.J.: GROUNDHOG DAY!
Second D.J.: GROUNDHOG DAY!

The mayor of Woodstock took the mike while the groundhog wrangler brought Willie out of his stump. He held the critter up to the mayor’s cheek. The mayor stepped back to confer with the other officials, then announced Willie’s verdict (using the same script as in the movie).

When we arrived in town an hour earlier, the moon was out and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Just before the moment of truth, the sky clouded over. A few minutes later, the clouds were gone and the sky was clear again. But Willie called it as he saw it — no shadow and an early spring. The band played a few more numbers while the crowd filed out of the square, many of them to the Groundhog Days breakfast in the Old Court House.

The photo below is from the Northwest Herald, taken by a photographer on the gazebo. I can be seen on the left in a blue coat, a gray hood and with my camera in front of my face.

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Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don’t forget your booties ’cause it’s cooooold out there today.

Posted on February 2, 2007 by Roger

Thing #28 — Go to Woodstock for the Groundhog Day ceremonies.

We set our alarm for 5:00 am and actually got up when it went off — even though it was dark and cold outside. We got to the square in Woodstock around 6:15 and parked right next to the Gobbler’s Knob location from the film.

Starbucks was open, so we headed there for something warm. This was my first ever trip to a Starbucks — two adventures in one day! My wife ordered a tall skim no whip mocha, I got a tall hot chocolate. We sat in the comfy chairs by the door and listened to the locals greet each other. The side of my wife’s cup was printed with The Way I See It #210: People should get out of their comfort zones on a daily basis … It will make you so much more interesting. — Raymond Lawson, Starbucks Customer from Aurora, Illinois I thought that was pretty funny, since I knew of some people from Aurora, Illinois who were warm and cozy in their comfort zones at that very moment.

We headed out into the cold and wandered into the square. We were almost immediately approached by a young man who identified himself as Rob Phillips, a reporter from the Daily Herald, and asked if he could chat with us. We told him where we were from and why we were there, but we didn’t get a mention in his article. I did get my photo in the article from the Northwest Herald (see next post).

It was cold. My wife thought about going back to Starbucks to wait, but we were standing front and center and didn’t want to give up our spots. We were even there when Woodstock Willie was carried up in his cage and put into the stump. I got to chatting with a couple of men who were standing nearby. They were locals who go every year and had even come out to see the “lighting of the groundhog” last night.

I saw in the paper that Woodstock was expecting 1,000 people, but only about 100 showed up, no doubt because of the weather. But we were having fun — and by this time we were numb.

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Important Information

Posted on January 23, 2007 by Roger

ephemera

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Bird #423 — Red-throated Loon

Posted on January 8, 2007 by Roger

gavia (seabird) stellata (starred, for the white speckling on the back in winter plumage)

Monday, January 8, 2007 — 12:15 pm

Winthrop Harbor, Illinois — North Point Marina — Lake Michigan

I’ve kept my eyes open for Red-throated Loons in the past, but as far as I know I’ve never been near one. IBET reports that more were being seen on Illinois’ Lake Michigan beaches this year than ever before. A Purple Sandpiper was also being seen in Waukegan, so I had to give it a shot.

As many as seven loons have been seen off Illinois Beach State Park, by the hotel. That’s where I went first. I walked up and down the beach, stopping regularly to scan the lake. But it was empty except for a few Buffleheads.

I drove south to Waukegan Harbor where I saw the Purple Sandpiper without difficulty. Another Red-throated Loon has been spotted recently off the south end of the harbor, so after I got done with the sandpiper, I scanned the lake, then walked to the end of the long breakwater and scanned again. Nothing.

The third and final reported site was at the south end of Winthrop Harbor, by Camp Logan. I walked out and scanned and saw … nothing.

So much for IBET reports. I drove to the north end of the harbor to look at the gulls on the docks. Just for fun, I walked to the back of the yacht club and scanned the lake to the north, over the breakwater. There wasn’t much going on, but just before I gave up I saw a bird way out. It was gray and white and not a gull, but I couldn’t see much else. I kept watching. Much of the time it was mostly-hidden behind waves or diving under. But each time it came up, it was a bit closer. It swam low in the water and dove effortlessly.

I lost it briefly a few times. Just about the time when details were coming into focus and I knew for sure it was a Red-throated Loon, it disappeared from my view behind the breakwater. (In other words, it was too close.)

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