Buckeye Chuck says Ohio best hunker down
Ohio’s weather-predicting whistlepig says the Buckeye State is in for six more weeks of winter.
Representatives of Marion’s own Buckeye Chuck interpreted and announced the famous groundhog’s 2023 winter forecast Thursday morning at the WMRN-AM studios on North Main Street. Longtime Buckeye Chuck handler Paul James stated, “It’s 7:41 a.m. in Marion, Ohio, USA, on Candlemas, Groundhog Day, February 2, 2023. Buckeye Chuck, Ohio’s official weather reporting groundhog, has remained in his burrow and not emerged, which by folklore of Groundhog Day means, like him, all Ohioans will need to hunker down for six more weeks of winter in Ohio.”
James’ announcement on behalf of Buckeye Chuck was greeted with jeers by the crowd that gathered on a chilly winter morning outside the radio station studios.
In 2022, Buckeye Chuck predicted an early spring for the fourth consecutive year. From 2016 to 2018, he forecasted six more weeks of winter. Between 2010 and 2015, Buckeye Chuck called for early spring six consecutive years.
At Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Buckeye Chuck’s rival whistlepig Punxsutawney Phil issued his prediction on Thursday morning, also stating that the nation is facing six more weeks of winter. The first day of spring this year is March 20, which is, coincidentally, just over six weeks from now.
Buckeye Chuck has been delivering his annual forecast for 43 years since being named Ohio’s official groundhog by an act of the General Assembly in 1979. Marion County broadcasting icon Charlie Evers and former state Rep. Walter “Doc” Mcclaskey were instrumental in seeing the designation through the state legislature.
Amy Evers Roston, daughter of Charlie Evers, said the Groundhog Day celebration has always been a part of her family’s life and that her father founded the event to bring the community together.
“Especially when we were kids, we were always out here,” Roston said. “Dad loved Buckeye Chuck and he thought this was the neatest thing for Marion to be recognized like this. Dad was really community-minded. He was on the radio for 50-some years and it was really important to him to just involve people in everything. He was all about the community.”
Unlike the past several years, there was no live groundhog at the WMRNAM celebration of Groundhog Day. In recent weeks, animal rights organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) lobbied WMRN-AM officials to stop using live animals for the event. At issue for PETA was the involvement of Kokas Exotics, a Marion County exotic animal breeder, in recent years.
According to records from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2022, the federal agency issued 70 citations to Kokas Exotics for violations of animal welfare laws. USDA cited Kokas Exotics for using a live groundhog at the 2022 Groundhog Day event at WMRN-AM, according to department records.
This year, a stuffed groundhog accompanied James on stage for the event.
The origin of Groundhog Day can be traced to Candlemas, the ancient European celebration of the midway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. According to the tradition, fair weather on the day of Candlemas meant a stormy and cold second half of winter was in store.
Pennsylvania Dutch superstition brought the groundhog into play, stating that if one of the critters sees its shadow upon emerging from its den on the morning of Feb. 2, that winter will last another six weeks. If the groundhog sees no shadow, spring will arrive on time.
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