Saturday, February 2, 2013
The 'groundhogs' see their shadow on a frigid Saturday morning at Wehr's Dam in South Whitehall.
Will spring come early? Not according to "groundhogs" Yahdee and Lee, who took a trip by raft down the Jordan Creek in South Whitehall on Saturday morning as some 70 onlookers braved the frigid morning. The "groundhogs" saw their shadow -- which, according to folklore, means six more weeks of winter. In keeping with Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, Grundsau Lodge No. 16 in Orefield hosted the Groundhog Day event at 7 a.m. along the Jordan Creek. "There’ll be some cold and there’ll be some warm days," said David Adam, the president of Grundsau Lodge No. 16, after Lee (a puppet) whispered to its handlers. "You can get your garden ready the beginning of March," he said. "By St. Patrick’s Day, you can plant your peas." The better-known …
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Forget Punxsutawney Phil. On Saturday, Feb. 2, Lehigh Valley "groundhogs" Yahdee and Lee will appear in South Whitehall again to make a prognostication.
Will Yahdee the "groundhog" see his shadow this year? Punxsutawney has its Phil, but in the Lehigh Valley, Groundhog Day belongs to Yahdee (who has seen a taxidermist) and his grandson Lee (a puppet.) For the sixth time in seven years, Grundsau Lodge No. 16, formed to preserve the language and traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch, will host a Groundhog Day event near Wehr's Dam in South Whitehall. Festivities will get under way at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, with men in top hats, the "groundhogs," and songs sung in Pennsylvania Dutch dialect. Yahdee and Lee will float on a raft (or sled if the creek freezes) 150 feet down Jordan Creek toward Wehr's dam, then Lee will be brought on land and whisper a prediction to the lodge's president. …
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The 'groundhogs' made their forecast on an overcast Thursday morning at Wehr's dam in South Whitehall.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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Thursday, February 2, 2012
The "groundhogs" have spoken. After a trip down the Jordan Creek in South Whitehall, Yahdee and Lee whispered to their handlers what everyone was hoping to hear -- Spring is around the corner! But don't plant your garden too early, they said. They predicted that the Lehigh Valley will see some snow and ice before Spring's early arrival. In keeping with Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, Grundsau Lodge No. 16 in Orefield hosted the Groundhog Day event at 7 a.m. along the Jordan Creek. Spectators and media crews were on hand as members of the lodge, some in top hats, sang in Pennsylvania Dutch and awaited the prognostication. Not to undermine Punxsutawney Phil, but Yahdee and Lee's prediction differed from that famous groundhog's prediction. Lee …
Mary Anne Looby
3:40 pm on Saturday, February 2, 2013
Go with Phil! He has the better prediction! more ›