February 2, Ground Hogs Day, holds significance in Chautauqua County as Dunkirk Dave will carry on tradition and match his wits against Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil and set his prediction for the rest of the winter.
The legend of winter prediction is a holdover from European folklore. Since early medieval times, people watched hedgehogs, badgers, bears or wolves to see if they saw their shadows on Candlemas, which is February 2. Many carried this tradition to America. The only difference is that before many animals predicted the weather. In America, the Ground Hog prevailed.
Dunkirk dave
According to the National Climate Data Center (NCDC), the tradition became publicized in 1887 when a newspaperman wrote about local hunters who celebrated February 2 by going on a groundhog hunt, followed by a festive groundhog barbecue. The reporter embellished the story with tales of the forecasting skills of Punxsutawney Phil. The rest is history and to this day Punxy Phil remains king of Ground Hogs day… but don’t tell Dunkirk Dave this.
Dunkirk Dave will be predicting his forecast at his residence at Farmlane drive in Dunkirk NY. For family photos and more Ground Hog trivia check out Dave’s homepage.
With the winter Chautauqua County, Warren County and the US east coast has experienced this winter everyone is rooting for an early spring.
