The 2022 Wiarton Willie Winter Weather Prediction morning on February 2nd will be a live event.
The Town of South Bruce Peninsula announced plans for the annual celebration Tuesday.
A media release said every year on February 2nd people eagerly gather to see if Wiarton Willie will predict six more weeks of winter, or an early spring.
The 2022 festival events will be held on Saturday, February 5th which has changed from an earlier posted date.
The town's albino prognosticator sadly passed away leaving his big brown understudy in charge of making the 2022 prediction.
Mayor Janice Jackson said Willie died of a tooth abscess prior to the 2021 Prediction Morning.
She added albino groundhogs are rare and they did not have a replacement.
She said they decided to use a short video history to mark Willie's 65th Anniversary, which was held virtually due to the pandemic.
Jackson added they have been searching for an albino ever since but as groundhog hibernation season approached, they moved to adopt a brown groundhog. The current Willie is in the understudy home attached to the Ross Whicher Centre in Wiarton (library). Jackson said he's an insatiable eater, about 4 years old and very curious.
“We look forward to gathering together for a “live” event in 2022. It will be great to be able to celebrate Willie’s prediction together, as a community,” said Mayor Jackson.