Groundhog Day: French Creek Freddie’s Predicition

FRENCH CREEK, WV: With Groundhog Day upon us, Meteorologist Christian Boteler and Serena Davanzo made the trek up to French Creek to celebrate the occasion.

It all started with Punxsutawney Phil in 1866, the most famous of all groundhog prognosticators. While Phil has a very storied history, French Creek Freddie’s is much more spontaneous. In the 1970’s, the Associated Press inquired about West Virginia State Wildlife Center’s Groundhog Day celebration. With an adlibbed name and a dream, Freddie was born.

Ever since, Freddie has been predicting when spring will start. This year, Freddie did not see his shadow, leading to cheers from the crowd and hopes of an early spring to come. After the prediction, guests were treated to hot chocolate, met Freddie himself, and competed in a wood chucking contest. Despite all the activities, Freddie was the main attraction for today’s celebration.

At the end of the day, this holiday is all about the cutest and furriest prognosticators in the land. For those who don’t believe in Freddie, NOAA graded him as the 9th most accurate, with a 55% success rate! The famous Punxsutawney Phil has a 35% success rate, for comparison.

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