Gordy the groundhog will return in Milwaukee County Zoo's online-only Groundhog Day event
Amy Schwabe
On Thursday, Feb. 2, Gordy, Milwaukee County Zoo's resident groundhog, will make his annual Groundhog Day prediction in an online-only ceremony that will be livestreamed on the zoo's Facebook page.
The ceremony will take place at the Northwestern Mutual Family Farm at 9 a.m. before the zoo opens, and it will be hosted by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and the zoo's director, Amos Morris.
People who watch the ceremony remotely can download activities from the zoo's website (milwaukeezoo.org), including a groundhog coloring page and Groundhog Bingo. While watching the ceremony, bingo players can mark off words as they're said by Crowley and Morris. People who get bingo can enter their cards and will be entered in a drawing in which winners will be randomly chosen to win a pack of groundhog-related prizes.
As tradition goes, if the weather is sunny and Gordy sees his shadow, he will return to his burrow for six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see his shadow, tradition says there will be an early spring.
Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are one of the largest members of the ground squirrel family. They have two layers of fur, one that keeps them warm and one that keeps them dry.
Gordy, who was born in Indiana, will turn 5 years old this spring, and has been said by his keepers to have a "goofy and friendly personality." His favorite foods are bananas and raw broccoli, and his favorite activity is shredding paper bags and newspaper.