Octoraro Orphie

Every Groundhog Day, February 2, we turn our eyes to Octoraro Orphie, world-renowned weather prognosticator and the One True Groundhog. His faithful acolytes, the Hibernating Governors of the Slumbering Groundhog Lodge, arise before dawn and scour the banks of the mighty West Branch of the Octoraro Creek for a glimpse of one of Orphie's reclusive kin. Once a groundhog has been sighted, every movement is carefully observed and recorded for posterity. Then the faithful squads rush back to their secluded Chateau at White Rock Lodge, ascend the Pinnacle of Prognostication (a manure spreader), and proclaim Orphie's prediction to the waiting world.

Other so-called groundhogs may wage more effective publicity campaigns and draw celebrity endorsements like flies. But Orphie is not distracted by the worldly pursuits of fame and fortune. To him and his followers, all that matters is his ongoing legacy of perfect accuracy. Every year since 1908, Orphie's phenomenal (and still unbroken) streak of correct predictions has earned him the title of "the One True Groundhog".