Bad news for springtime aficionados.
It is six more weeks of winter, according to Okanagan Okie, as the furry mascot made the official Groundhog Day prediction in Vernon on Sunday, Feb. 2.
It鈥檚 official. Okanagan Okie saw his shadow and that means six more weeks of winter! #myvernon pic.twitter.com/6Wm0qF20Pa
鈥� Vernon Morning Star (@VernonNews) February 2, 2025
The decision by the large mascot was made at the fourth annual Groundhog Day celebration, hosted at the Allan Brooks Nature Centre (ABNC).
Dozens of people came out for the event at the Centre, braving the wind and cold. It was also livestreamed on YouTube.
Okie did have to be awoken from his slumber, and the crowd did their job to wake him, shouting "Wake up Okie!"
Once awake, Okie passed on the top-secret information to Vernon Mayor Victor Cumming, who then gave the official proclamation.
"My faithful followers, I clearly see a perfect shadow. Six more weeks of winter it shall be."
Okanagan Okie is a new staff member of the ABNC, having just been created.
"Okie is the marketing face of the organization," said Cheryl Hood, manager of the ABNC. "He is also going to be in the community a lot, with tourism events. He is going to be the face of the ABNC, as the friendly face can help appeal to kids ."
While the ABNC does have real-life marmots, Hood didn't agree with using them for Groundhog Day.
"We are a Nature Centre, so we don't have any licenses to have wildlife here," said Hood. "We believe that we should leave the wild animals wild. When you distract their rhythms, it interrupts their lifespan."
Hood said that real marmots will be showing up at the Centre in early March, "poking their noses out of the ground."
"It depends on what the weather is like," said Hood. "This is kind of the early promotional start for our Centre, as we open up again in April."
Okanagan Okie's shadow sight echoed other groundhogs and marmots across the world, with the famous Punxsutawney Phil also seeing his shadow.
More information on the ABNC can be found at abnc.ca.
