Uni, a Dutch-speaking taxidermy woodchuck, was brought to Tulpehocken Creek in Myerstown on Feb. 2 to make a decision on whether winter 2026 will be extended for another six weeks.
More than 60 people attended the early morning Groundhog Day event at Myerstown Community Park. Adults and children alike stopped to take photos with Uni in the arctic cold temperatures before she floated down the river.
At about 8 a.m., Yuni drifted down the creek and after being rescued, he had a brief conversation in Dutch with Donald Hickernell, the forecaster at Grundsau Lodsch Nummer Siwwezeh am Union Kanaal.
On February 2, Uni the groundhog made his 45th trip along Tulpehocken and predicted whether winter would last another six weeks or whether an early spring would emerge.
Schicknell said the university expects six more weeks of winter and residents should keep their snow shovels on their back porches.
“It’s going to snow and it’s going to be cold,” Schicknell said, translating for the university. “He said don’t put away your long underwear either. Keep them handy.”
Schicknell added that Yoni didn’t want to come out to the event, but organizers went to get him out. But Yoni did make appointments with the hairdresser and dentist to look her best on Groundhog Day.
“He said the only way he was going to come was if we paid him today, so we bribed him with five dollars,” Schicknell told attendees. “But he was very grateful that you all came to see him.”
On February 2, Uni the groundhog made his 45th trip along Tulpehocken and predicted whether winter would last another six weeks or whether an early spring would emerge.
Punxsutawney Phil made a similar prediction on Monday, February 2, when he saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter.
This German cultural tradition began in 1981, said chapter president Tony Brubaker. This event is a fun way to keep the legacy of the Pennsylvania Dutch alive in the community.
“I did bring a sled in case he couldn’t come down by boat because we weren’t sure,” he told Lebanese Daily News. “It was the first time he’d been up a creek without a paddle.”
Brubaker added organizers are concerned about attendance due to the extreme cold weather, but they hope their loyal following will attend every year. Organizers said some visitors came from as far away as Maine and Georgia. One couple said they came all the way from California to visit family and decided to come out to see what was going on.
“America is a hodgepodge of different cultures,” Brubaker said. “We just want to keep it going and the university is proud to be a part of it.”
Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Contact him at mtoth@ldnews.com or @DAMattToth.
This article originally appeared in the Lebanese Daily News: Yuni the Groundhog: Will there be six more weeks of winter?
