All Welcome to Join in Groundhog Day Festivities

Nova Scotians are invited to join our province’s famous groundhog at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park for a centuries-old weather forecasting tradition on Friday, Feb. 2.

The park will open at 7 a.m. for visitors to enjoy free hot drinks, displays, face painting and crafts.

Natural Resources Minister Margaret Miller will join Sam’s fans to watch him make his prediction at 8 a.m.

“I invite all Nova Scotians to join me at the wildlife park for Sam’s 30th spring forecast,” said Ms. Miller. “This is a fun event we look forward to all year. Our location in Nova Scotia makes it even more exciting as Sam is the first groundhog in North America to make his prediction.”

Folklore says if Sam does not see his shadow, spring will come early. If he does, we can expect six more weeks of winter.

Feb. 2 is also World Wetlands Day. Representatives from Ducks Unlimited, the Department of Natural Resources, the Clean Foundation, the Canadian Wildlife Federation, Mi'kmawey Forestry and Ikanawtiket will all join Sam at the park to raise awareness about the value of wetlands.

At 9 a.m., after Sam’s forecast, there will be a guided nature walk of the park’s wetland trail. The Greenwing Legacy Interpretive Centre will also be open to visitors.

If you cannot join the festivities in person, you can watch Sam live leading up to the event and on the day of to make his prediction at www.novascotiawebcams.com/en/webcams/shubenacadie-sam/. The best times to tune in are 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., when he gets fed. Sam is also on Twitter @ShubenacadieSam.

During the winter, the park is open only on weekends. For Groundhog Day, the park will be open until noon. Directions to the park and park hours are online at http://wildlifepark.novascotia.ca/find_us.asp.