Harleysville Order of the Grundsow (HOG) Schreiber Randy Nyce holds Harleysville Hank as he “whispers” his prediction in the ear of Hauptman Steve Hunsberger. Photo by John Worthington | The Reporter.
'Hank always gives the people what they want'
Harleysville Hank has once again predicted an early spring.
Over 300 residents gathered at the Mennonite Heritage Center on Saturday, Feb. 1, for the 10th annual Harleysville Hank Groundhog Day Extravaganza. Loud cheers erupted after Hank “whispered” his prediction in the ear of Steve Hunsberger, Harleysville Order of the Grundsow, HOG, chairman.
Presented by HOG, the event was held at a reconstructed barn on the Mennonite Heritage Center property and featured coffee, hot chocolate and live music from the Barnyard Singers.
Leading up to Hank’s prediction, the crowd sang a medley of Groundhog Day tunes and listened to the “Ballad of Harleysville Hank,” read by HOG secretary Randy Nyce. They also sang the “Fly Eagles Fly” fight song to celebrate the Philadelphia Eagles advancing to the Super Bowl.
Mennonite Heritage Center Executive Director Joel Horst Nofzinger then recounted the history of Groundhog Day.
The holiday originated in Europe as a method of predicting the onset of spring for farmers. Pennsylvania Germans later brought the tradition to the United States, developing it into a national holiday in the 1930s. The day falls on Feb. 2 because it is the date of the Catholic festival Candlemas and the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.
“Taking together a special creature and a special day, we have Groundhog Day to see if there will be six more weeks of winter or six more weeks of spring,” said Nofzinger.
Following Hank’s prediction, Hunsberger left the crowd with a message.
“Hank always gives the people what they want,” said Hunsberger.
For more information about Harleysville Hank, visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/harleysvillehank/
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit https://www.thereporteronline.com