Okanagan Okie, said event emcee Rebecca Barton from 107.5 Beach Radio’s morning show, is not a morning marmot.
Still, the giant stuffed mascot of Vernon’s Allan Brooks Nature Centre woke up groggily from a winter nap at his nature centre home – The Rona Rock – on Monday, Feb. 2, and delivered wonderful news in the form of a scroll to Vernon Mayor Victor Cumming.
His worship took the scroll from Okanagan Okie, unfurled it, and gave the news that the crowd of 40 had been hoping to hear on Groundhog Day:
“On this, the second day of February, Okanagan Okie – seer of seers, prognosticator of all prognosticators – awakened from his wintry nap in the morning at the Allan Brooks Nature Centre,” said Cumming.
“Okie looked to the skies, and speaking in marmot-ease, directed me to this proper scroll which reads: ‘From his cozy den, Okie peers. No shadow is seen. Goodbye to fears. Winter loosens and warmth draws near. Early spring is coming this year.”
Temperature for the announcement Monday was around five degrees Celsius, no snow on the ground, and a light rain starting to drizzle.
Barton explained, prior to the announcement, that Okanagan Okie is the official spokes-marmot for the Allan Brooks Nature Centre, as voted by his clan. Okie is a charming yellow-bellied marmot from Vernon, and a “proud cousin to all of the marmots who live at the nature centre.”
“He was chosen for his flair for theatre, his larger than life personality, and he loves hugging,” said Barton.
Okanagan Okie happily posed for photos with toddlers and adults following the early spring decree.
Kiki The Eco Elf was also on hand to entertain the crowd prior to the announcement and had the crowd, the mayor, and the emcee help in awakening Okie from its slumber.
And for people who could not make it to the nature centre for the live celebration of Groundhog Day, the event was streamed on YouTube courtesy of Rhythm Productions from Armstrong.
Meanwhile, the news wasn’t quite so promising on Vancouver Island.
Vancouver Island Violet has made her prediction that there will be six more weeks of winter after waking to her shadow.
On Monday, Feb. 2, the endangered marmot saw her shadow after being awoken by staff at the Tony Barrett Mount Washington Marmot Recovery Centre for her regular health-check.
Adam Taylor, Marmot Recovery Foundation executive director, said he wasn’t too surprised, given she makes her annual prediction in a sub-alpine to alpine ecosystem in early February and has always guessed six more weeks of winter since she started the meteorologist role about four years ago.
“I feel like six more weeks of winter is a pretty safe prediction for this part of the world,” he said.
“Her predictions have always been six more weeks of winter, but they have also always been right, so as far as we can tell we’re batting 100 per cent right now.”
While the prediction is usually made by a groundhog in other parts of the country, Taylor said both species are members of the same genus, and Violet has a “fair amount” of what Taylor called “groundhoggy-ness.”
“If you put aside the scientific literature for just a moment, basically every marmot has been called a groundhog at some point. Arguably [while] it’s a mistake to call a Vancouver Island marmot a groundhog, it has definitely happened – a lot.”
—with a file from Jessica Durling