Harleysville Hank “whispers” his prediction in the ear of Hauptman Steve Hunsberger. (John Worthington – MediaNewsGroup)
Presented by Harleysville Order of the Grundsow, the event was held at the Mennonite Heritage Center museum
Harleysville Hank has once again predicted an early spring.
Over 200 residents gathered at the Mennonite Heritage Center on Monday, Feb. 2, for the 11th 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.
“Winter may linger, but the direction is clear,” Hunsberger translated. “Spring is coming.”
Presented by HOG, the event was held at the Mennonite Heritage Center museum and featured coffee, hot chocolate, scrapple 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.”
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.
“So we take together this special creature of the hog and this special day in dividing the year, and we have together a festival to see what the future will hold,” said Nofzinger.
Following Hank’s prediction, Hunsberger left the crowd with a message.
“Hank said that he’ll see you in your gardens in June,” said Hunsberger.
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