As Groundhog Day 2024 approaches, don't forget about this famous Delaware groundhog: Chunk

Anthony DiMattia, Delaware News Journal
·2 min read

It's almost that time of year again for the prognosticating groundhog to make his return.

Punxsutawney Phil will be back at it again celebrating Groundhog Day this week, deciding whether we'll have six more weeks of winter or an early spring.

Will Phil see his shadow this year? Find out how you can watch the "prediction" live.

When is Groundhog Day 2024?

Groundhog Day is observed annually on Feb. 2.

This year, Groundhog Day will be on Friday, Feb. 2, with festivities held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

Groundhog Day meaning

The annual event has its origin in a German legend about a furry rodent. It has roots back to Candlemas Day in Europe with the Christian "festival of lights" that falls on Feb. 2, midway between the start and end of winter.

Tradition says Phil seeing his shadow is a sign that the next six weeks will bring wintry weather.

If Phil doesn't see his shadow, it means an early spring.

How to watch Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day 2024 will be celebrated at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney with the Inner Circle beginning their march to Gobbler's Knob at 7:15 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 2. At sunrise, which is around 7:28 a.m., Punxsutawney Phil is anticipated to leave his burrow and look for his shadow for the 138th time, according to groundhog.org/.

There are festivities and events planned starting Feb. 1 and lasting through Feb. 3.

On Groundhog Day, the celebration starts at 3 a.m. at Gobbler's Knob, and between 3:30 a.m. and 7 a.m., attendees can enjoy live entertainment and fireworks.

To watch, you can visit the livestream here.

You can also view the festivities on the Visit PA YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Delaware has its own Groundhog — Chunk

A Chunk the Groundhog-themed veggie taco has been on the menu at Rehoboth Beach's Taco Reho the past two Groundhog Days.
A Chunk the Groundhog-themed veggie taco has been on the menu at Rehoboth Beach's Taco Reho the past two Groundhog Days.

While Phil might be the most recognized, he's not the only famous groundhog.

Delaware has its own celebrity groundhog — Middletown's Chunk the Groundhog.

Chunk became a viral sensation after Jeff Permar spotted the groundhog in his backyard garden and posted the harmonious co-existence online. Four years after Chunk's online debut, he has growing internet success on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and TikTok.

Last spring, Chunk was featured in People magazine and now has nearly 560,000 followers on Instagram with some videos on both Instagram and YouTube garnering more than a million views.

Chunk the Groundhog: Delaware farmer decides to coexist with garden-eating groundhog and makes it a star

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: When is Groundhog Day 2024? See Punxsutawney Phil make his prediction