Shubenacadie Sam to Make Annual Weather Prediction

NATURAL RESOURCES--Shubenacadie Sam to Make Annual Weather Prediction

Move over Wiarton Willie, and pack your bags Punxsutawney Phil. This Sunday, Feb. 2, Shubenacadie Sam will be predicting the weather.

Sam, who resides in a burrow at the entrance to the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park, is the first groundhog to make his prediction in North America each year. If Sam sees his shadow on Groundhog Day and runs back into his burrow to hide, Nova Scotia is set for six more weeks of winter. If he stays out, spring is just around the corner.

Groundhog Day is a North American tradition that has its roots in the Candlemas celebrations of Europe. Germans first used hedgehogs to predict whether they would have six more weeks of winter or an early spring. When German settlers came to Pennsylvania, they brought the tradition with them and began to use groundhogs instead of hedgehogs.

This year, Sam will race to predict the weather at 8 a.m. The park will be open on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be free face painting and hot chocolate in the heated classroom for early morning visitors. A guided walking tour of the park will begin at 9:30 a.m.

The village of Shubenacadie has other events planned to help celebrate the day:

• Lions Club's second annual all-you-can-eat Groundhog Day breakfast, Shubenacadie Community Hall, 2848 Main St., from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Adults -- $6, youth under 12 -- $2.50 and children under 6 free.
• Watson Smith's Tinsmith Shop and Hardware Store Museum, 2854 Main St., open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tours and hot dogs available.

For more information or to arrange an interview following the prediction, call the park at 902-758-2040.