RALEIGH, N.C. \u2013 Ask anyone around the Triangle and they\u2019d say winter took its sweet time coming, but it has finally arrived. This past weekend is proof of that. The burning question is how long will it stick around? Well, that\u2019s for Sir Walter Wally to decide and he\u2019ll do just that during the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences\u2019 20th annual Groundhog Day celebration on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 on Bicentennial Plaza in front of the Museum! Judging from his track record over the last 15-years, Wally tends to favor long winters, but you never know! The day\u2019s activities kick off at 9 a.m. and run through 1 p.m. The shadow ceremony where he\u2019ll make his prediction begins promptly at noon.<\/p>\n
Whether you call him a Groundhog, a Woodchuck or a \u201cWhistle Pig,\u201d one thing you can\u2019t call Sir Walter Wally is inconsistent. Regularly listed among the Weather Channel\u2019s \u201cTop 11 Groundhogs to Watch,\u201d Wally comes in at #7 on the list this year and he continues to gain national attention for his \u201chognosticating,\u201d or rather, prognosticating abilities. Since 1998, Wally has been right 55 percent of the time, while his cousin to the north of us, Punxsutawney Phil, has been correct a measly 33 percent. Not only does this mean Wally is more accurate, but he tends to favor longer winters as well. According to legend, if the groundhog sees his shadow on February 2, we\u2019re in for six more weeks of winter.<\/p>\n
Susan Kluttz, Secretary of the newly formed N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources makes her debut this year as our official \u201cGroundhog Whisperer\u201d and joins former Museum educator John Connors, who will be outfitted in top hat and tails, to assist Wally with the forecast.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am looking forward to hearing what Wally has to whisper to me about the coming of Spring,\u201d says Kluttz. \u201cMy fingers are crossed that the day will be cloudy so that Wally does not see his shadow. I am ready for warmer weather!\u201d<\/p>\n
Immediately following the ceremony, Wally will be at his special station where those with cameras can pose for pictures alongside the famous weather predictor. The ceremony will be held in the Museum\u2019s auditorium in case of inclement weather.<\/p>\n
Visitors can also take advantage of educational stations like \u201cSnakes in Winter,\u201d \u201cSigns of Spring,\u201d the \u201cHistory of Groundhog Day\u201d and more, as well as fun games and activities including a make-your-own Groundhog Hat station (1st floor, main). For kids six and under there will be a special Storytime called \u201cAnimals in Winter\u201d at 10:30 a.m. and Meet the Animals at 11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. in Windows on the World (3rd floor, main).<\/p>\n
For more information about Groundhog Day, please contact Miranda Dowdy at miranda.dowdy@naturalsciences.org<\/a> or 919.707.9885.<\/p>\n The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (11 W. Jones St. and 121 W. Jones St.) in downtown Raleigh, is the state’s most visited cultural attraction. It is an active research institution that engages visitors of every age and stage of learning in the wonders of science and the natural world, drawing them into the intriguing fields of study that are critical to the future of North Carolina. Hours: Mon.- Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sun., noon-5 p.m. Admission is free, however donations are appreciated and accepted. Visit the Museum on the Web at www.naturalsciences.org<\/a>. Emlyn Koster, PhD, Director; Susan Kluttz, Secretary<\/em>, <\/strong>N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources; Pat McCrory, Governor.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4973,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/4971"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/4971\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n