The Wiarton Willie Festival has turned into a financial success for South Bruce Peninsula council.
Early financial reports indicate the 61st edition of the Groundhog Day festival turned a profit of about $20,000 for the municipality.
Mayor Janice Jackson says it's the first time the "prediction" events that morning were organized and funded by the municipality and she believes it's the first time it has reported a surplus.
She says it's nice to be able to pull off the event without relying on tax dollars, adding they will hold the profit in a reserve fund for next year's festival.
"We're going to put it in an event fund for next year's Willie festival, we'll have a little bit of seed money going into it," says Jackson. "If there's any other festivals that are going to come up that need a little bit of seed funding, we have the option of dipping into that to give them a little bit of a head start."
Jackson adds the Wiarton Willie brand is coming more well known across the country and she hopes they can use that momentum to continue to grow the festival.