Raleigh Groundhog Day 2017 and Sir Walter Wally
North Carolina’s own groundhog Sir Walter Wally will make his appearance in the Raleigh Groundhog Day 2017 celebration on Thursday Feb. 2, 2017 in downtown Raleigh. Will he see his shadow or not? If he sees his shadow it means winter for 6 more weeks. He doesn’t see his shadow he predicts spring will come soon. Groundhog Day is an annual tradition in the United States. It’s the day we find out if there will be 6 more weeks of winter or an early return of spring weather. Raleigh brings out their own groundhog Sir Walter Wally each Groundhog Day. The exciting ceremony takes place at the Museum of Natural Science in downtown Raleigh. Each year the crowds get larger and larger, They all want to see Sir Walter Wally! Children love the celebration! This year more than 1200 people are expected to gather at the museum to see if the famous North Carolina groundhog will predict a longer winter or an early spring.
Groundhog Day Celebration in Raleigh 2017 with Sir Walter Wally
Sir Walter Wally has a pretty good record of predicting a long winter or an early spring. Wally has a 50% success rate as compared to a 39% success rate of Punxsutawney Phil in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. In fact the Weather Channel puts him in the Top 11 Groundhogs to watch on Groundhog Day for an accurate prediction!
Raleigh’s on Sir Walter Wally is of course named after Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh’s Groundhog Day Celebration The Shadow Ceremony takes place this Thursday Feb. 2, 2017 from 9:00am – 1:00pm. The big reveal takes place at noon in front of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science. (See map for location below.) Watch Sir Walter Wally with special guest Governor McFarlane and others. The museum will have several special exhibits related to the history of Groundhog Day, games, hats of Groundhog Day, animal facts related to winter and many other fun exhibits. Plus meet Sir Walter Wally!
Raleigh, NC 27601
