INDIANAPOLIS — It’s not hogwash to say Indianapolis has its own storied Groundhog Day icons.
While Punxsutawney Phil often grabs national headlines for being the Seer of Seers and Prognosticator of Prognosticators, Indianapolis groundhog legends like Charles Sterling Winchester III, and Henrietta, gained notoriety in their own right.
Charles Sterling Winchester III, or Charlie, gained notoriety for being the first groundhog to undergo surgery in a traditional hospital setting in 1980.
Charlie’s successor, Henrietta, made her Groundhog Day debut in 1982. But after her death in 1987, the Indianapolis Zoo found itself without a groundhog.
In 1993, a hog of a different kind was ready for her moment in the sun.
Enter Hillary — the hedgehog.
Although the word hog is the only thing the two species had in common, Hillary was up for the challenge of predicting an early spring or six more weeks of winter.
And so in front of a crowd of a few kids and WRTV meteorologist Kevin Gregory, Hillary emerged from the hands of her handler. The hedgehog did in fact see her shadow. It was the same prediction made by that Phil guy in Gobbler's Knob.
