HOPE, IND — Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow in 2026, but an Indiana groundhog had a warmer forecast in mind.
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The town of Hope, Indiana, in Bartholomew County, has had a Groundhog Day celebration for 13 years.
"Today's arguably our biggest day of the year," said Shawn Tyler with Utopia Wildlife.
Utopia cares for Hope, the groundhog, through the year. The last three weeks, volunteers like Tyler have been waking Hope up a little bit each day, to get her out of hibernation mode.
"We gotta wake her up, so she's actually a little active for today," Tyler continued.
The town has a population just over 2,000 people. Dozens turned out on the town's square for Hope's forecast.
"Hope knows what's going on," said Hope resident Michael Meyer. "We live just down the road here, so it's easy to get here."
Jennifer Skogh and her friends drove from Indianapolis.
"Groundhog Day is my favorite holiday!" Skogh exclaimed. "I don't know much about the celebration in Pennsylvania. We have thought about going. Haven't made it out there, but it's super cool that this is so close to home."
"Groundhog Day is a perfect match for the town of Hope, because it's kind of part theater, it's kind of part agriculture, it's part history," explained event volunteer Susan Thayer Fye.
Those leading the event wore costumes and top hats.
Tyler was the one to wake Hope up (who had been snoozing inside her box). He held her up for the crowd to see, conferred with her while looking for a shadow.
"No shadows she sees! The groundhog has spoken. Winter's long spell will shortly be broken. This is Hope's prediction for 2026," said one of the volunteers, as the crowd erupted into cheers.
"Everybody's happy with Hope today! She's probably the most popular groundhog in the Midwest," laughed Susan Thayer Fye.
Following the event, Hope went back in her box and was carried to a nearby restaurant.
There, the event turned into a meet-and-greet with Hope.
"I got to pet the groundhog this year!" said Skogh with a grin. "It made my entire life."
"This event is quirky, and to really fit in in the town of Hope, you gotta be a little quirky," Thayer Fye said. "I think that's why it works."
