Mayor Meeker and Sir Walter Wally special guests at Museum’s sixth annual Groundhog Day

January 16, 2003
For Immediate Release
For news, feature and calendar editors
Contacts: Karen Kemp (919) 733-7450, ext. 304 or Marjorie Terry (919) 733-7450, ext. 305

Are we in for six more weeks of cold, blustery winds and icy precipitation? Will we soon see the first buds of spring? Find out at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' sixth annual Groundhog Day on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2003, from noon to 3 p.m.

Sir Walter Wally, the Museum’s groundhog, will make his weather prediction during the official shadow ceremony beginning at 1 p.m. Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker will join Museum educator Phillip Cox, outfitted in top hat and tails, to assist Wally with the forecast.

“Each year, we have a lot of fun comparing Sir Walter Wally’s forecast with his counterparts from across the country,” said Bob Flook, Museum coordinator of educational events. “So far, most of Wally’s predictions have been accurate, which is not the case with his cousin in Pennsylvania.”

Sir Walter Wally will start his big weekend on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 a.m., with an appearance on WRAL’s morning news program. On Sunday, Feb. 2, learn about groundhog lore, and how animals deal with winter weather at special Groundhog Day programs throughout the Museum.

Schools across North Carolina also will participate in the Museum’s annual Groundhog Day celebration. For the week beginning January 27, classrooms will observe and record weather conditions each day with the help of a downloadable Museum kit containing educational activities related to winter weather and animals, as well as information and folklore about groundhogs.

The classes will report the weeks’ weather conditions to the Museum, where members of the State Climate Office will record their observations on a statewide Weather Watch. For six weeks after Groundhog Day, students can check the map through Museum’s Web site, www.naturalsciences.org, to see actual weather temperatures and patterns and compare them to Wally’s prediction.

One lucky participating school will win an all-expenses-paid trip to Raleigh for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Museum. “The children, parents and I had a wonderful time on the field trip! This trip meant the world to them,” said Harnett County teacher LuAnn Miller, whose second grade class at Johnsonville School won the 2002 trip to the Museum. Miller and her family attended last year’s Groundhog Day celebration and were present when her class was drawn as a winner.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun., noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the web at www.naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.

Home	What's New?	Visitor Info	Calendar	Exhibits
	Education	Research	Museum Store	Join Us!
Search	Fun Stuff	Site Map	Staff Directory	Links