Residents and visitors will once again gather in Unadilla for the village’s 38th annual Groundhog Day celebration, with festivities beginning Monday, Feb. 2, and continuing through Saturday, Feb. 7.
Groundhog Central Committee Chairman Bob Brandt tells KLIN News that Unadilla Billie will make his 5th annual weather prediction at sunrise, approximately 7:34 a.m. on Feb. 2 inside the Duncan Building downtown. Doors open at 7 a.m., with the prediction scheduled for shortly after sunrise, determining an early spring or six more weeks of winter, followed by a potluck breakfast.
In 2024, Brandt told KLIN News how this decades long tradition began.
“I went out to my garden one day and saw that the cabbage had the hearts eaten out of the them. The next day I went out and there was some more damage and I saw a dead groundhog by one,” Brandt said. “Evidently it ate too much cabbage. I called my taxidermist buddy, Duane Hanson who said ‘I’m going to stuff that groundhog. It will be Groundhogs Day here next month.’ And that is how it started.”
The taxidermy mounted groundhog replaced the now-retired Unadilla Bill after 33 years. Bill’s last year shadow casting was 2021, he now lives at the Nitty Gritty Gas & Thrift Convenience Store in Unadilla where people can still see him today.
Unadilla became the Groundhog Capital of Nebraska in 1988 when a proclamation was signed by the Lieutenant Governor William Nichol.
The main celebration is set for Saturday, Feb. 7, featuring a parade and a full day of events centered around Main Street. A parade is scheduled for 2 p.m., followed by the crowning of the Groundhog King and Queen around 2:45 p.m. at Mal’s Bar and Grill. Voting for king and queen is already underway through mail-in ballots, with in-person voting available the day of the parade at the Duncan Building.
Brandt said the king and queen contests double as fundraisers, with winners determined by which candidates raise the most money for the local rescue squad, fire department and foundation. Additional activities include a soup cook-off Saturday at noon, featuring soup, spam-based recipes and a new salsa category.
Brandt said the event continues to serve as a homecoming of sorts for former residents and a family-friendly draw for visitors.
