Pumpkin the Groundhog has news for western North Carolina: Spring is on the way.

On February 2, Pumpkin made his first-ever Groundhog Day Prediction. He did not see his shadow, contradicting the prediction from the famous Punxsutawney Phil. Maybe New England is in for more six more weeks of winter, but Pumpkin sees warmer days coming to Chimney Rock soon. Chimney Rock Mayor Peter O’Leary spoke to Pumpkin and relayed his predictions to those watching online.
Following his weather prognostication, Pumpkin predicted that the L.A. Rams will win Super Bowl LVI on February 13. Chimney Rock groundhogs have a Groundhog Day prediction success rate of about 68 percent, and we can’t wait to see if Pumpkin is correct.

Pumpkin recently joined the Chimney Rock family after being deemed unreleasable to the wild at a rehabilitation center in New York. Because of brain damage caused by a parasite, Pumpkin is not able to survive on his own.

The video of the celebration is available on our YouTube channel, so check it out!