Groundhog Day!

Groundhog Day has been celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, since 1887. But the history of Groundhog Day can be traced to early Christians in Europe and the custom of Candlemas Day, which marked the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The Candlemas Day believe was that clear and sunny conditions signified a long, harsh winter and cloudy conditions meant warm weather was on its way.

This custom was adopted by the Germans and used a hedgehog and the belief that if the animal cast a shadow during sunny skies on Candlemas Day, it indicated six more weeks of winter.

When German settlers arrived in Pennsylvania in the 1700s, they brought the tradition with them.  Because hedgehogs were scarce in the region, they were replaced with the more abundant groundhog, which was also considered sacred among the local Native Americans.

A groundhog is a woodchuck and is a rodent that can weigh almost 9 pounds! Besides the most famous weather groundhog in Pennsylvania, here is a list of other groundhog weather predictors. 

·      Punxsutawney Phil, Punxsutawney, PA - No Shadow

·      Staten Island Chuck – Staten Island, NY - No Shadow

·      Milltown Mel – Milltown, NJ - Shadow

·      Essex Ed – West Orange, NJ

·      Stonewall Jackson V – Wantage, NJ – No Shadow

·      Malverne Mel – Long Island, NY - No shadow

·      Holtsville Hal – Holtsville, NY – No shadow

·      Pierre C. Shaddeaux – New Iberia, LA - Shadow

·      Sir Walter Wally – Raleigh, NC – No Shadow

·      Buckeye Chuck – Marion, OH – No Shadow

·      General Beauregard Lee – Lilburn, GA – Shadow

·      Smith Lake Jake – Graysville, AL -

·      Dunkirk Dave – Dunkirk, NY – No Shadow

·      Potomac Phil - Washington, DC, - Shadow*

*In addition to the spring prediction, if Potomac Phil sees its shadow, it portends six more months of political gridlock – who didn’t see that coming?

Canada also celebrates the tradition of Groundhog’s Day:

·      Wiarton Willie of Wiarton, - Ontario,  Canada – No Shadow

·      Shubenacadie Sam – Nova Scotia, Canada – Shadow

·      Balzac Billy – Balzac, Alberta, Canada -

So, the majority of rodent weather prognosticators suggest we are in for an early spring.  My personal opinion is that the weather at Disney World today is a high of 77° and we can go find spring right now.  Also, I am fairly confident, the first day of spring will be March 20^th.  Let us help you plan your Spring Break trip right now and get you down to Florida and enjoy the already "spring-like" weather!

And in case you were wondering: A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood. 

Incredible Summer!

Still considering a trip to Walt Disney World this summer? There is still time to experience the fun of Incredible Summer and the Incredible Expo in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom Park! On the heels of the release of Incredibles 2, guests have the opportunity for fun photo ops, interact in a mini parade of characters and dance with the characters during the afternoon dance parties.

There are multiple photo ops where you become a part of scenes from Incredibles 2, including escaping from the Underminer. And of course, there is a magical surprise in one of the photos that will appear when your photo when posted to Disneys PhotoPass.

Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl and Edna Mode travel around Tomorrowland in Super Mobiles.  The Super Mobile is manned by a driver that can stop at various points on the route so that guests are able to interact with the characters and snap photos. The parade runs approximately every 15-20 minutes.

And, who doesn’t love a good dance party? Mr. Incredible leads the way with a group of great supporting dancers who interact with the crowd. Mr. Incredible even takes a moment to come down from the stage to interact and dance with the party attendees.

Incredible Summer is scheduled to remain at Magic Kingdom until September 1^st.