Harleysville Hank has once again called for an early spring on Saturday, reports John Worthington for the Times Herald.
More than 300 residents were delighted at the Mennonite Heritage Center’s tenth annual Harleysville Hank Groundhog Extravaganza.
The event, hosted by the Harleysville Order of the Grundsow (HOG), took place in a reconstructed barn, featuring coffee, hot chocolate, and live music from the Barnyard Singers. Cheers erupted as Hank “whispered” his prediction to HOG chairman Steve Hunsberger.
Leading up to the big moment, attendees sang Groundhog Day tunes, listened to Randy Nyce’s reading of the “Ballad of Harleysville Hank,” and even joined in a rousing “Fly Eagles Fly” to celebrate the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl berth.
Mennonite Heritage Center Executive Director Joel Horst Nofzinger shared the history of Groundhog Day, tracing its European roots and its evolution into an American tradition in the 1930s.
As the event wrapped up, Hunsberger left the crowd with a parting thought: “Hank always gives the people what they want.”
Read more about Harleysville Hank and the decade-long winter tradition in the Times Herald.
