Sunday. Feb. 2, Schnogadahl Sammi, a groundhog, will be performing the Groundhog Day ritual of shadow glancing.

While most of the country will be anticipating the more famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil's weather predication, locals will flock behind Cherry's Sunset Family Restaurant, Route 209, Kresgeville at 7:05 a.m. where Schnogadahl Sammi will determine if we have six more weeks of winter locally.After all the freezing weather of late, most people are hoping Sammi will not see her shadow, which would indicate an early spring. If she sees her shadow, it will mean six more weeks of winter.An annual ritualfor 19 yearsSchnogadahl Sammi first made an appearance in 1995 when Grundsau Lodge Nummer Sexa (No. 6) began holding the annual prognostication ceremony with a live groundhog, the first Sammi.Lee Haas, haaptmann (president) of Grundsau Lodge Nummer Sexa, says they're all about preserving the Pennsylvania German language and traditions, as well as having fun.Fred Snyder, a member of Grundsau Lodge Nummer Sexa, acquired Sammi I, who predicted the weather in 1995 and 1996.How Sammi 1met her fateGrundsau Lodge member Robert Andrews tells the story that has now become folklore, of how Sammi met her demise. She appeared in the Polk Township Sesquicentennial Parade, which was a very hot day. With no water available, she drank some beer, got out of control, became agitated from all the sirens and noise, climbed up the fire truck to smash the siren, fell off under a horse-drawn wagon, scared the horse which kicked Sammi into a yard with a German Shepherd and bit the dog's nose."The Grundsau brothers found only her hide, which they stuffed," is how he tells the tale.Snyder acquired Sammi II as a baby and she made the annual prediction for three years until the Pennsylvania Game Commission informed Snyder and the Lodge on Ground Hog Day in 1999 that they did not have a permit for Sammi and had to release her into the wild, which they did.Snyder found Sammi III in October of 1999 and received a permit to own her. She lived three times the normal life span of a groundhog and made her annual appearance until 2010.The year there wasno predictionThat year visitors gathered around a hollowed-out tree stump with pine boughs around it and were surprised to see a "Vacancy" sign on it. Grundsau Lodge Nummer Sexa held a memorial service for her because she had passed away three days before Ground Hog Day.Kathy Heller of Effort brought her pet raccoon, Roxie the Raccoon, to apply for the vacancy left by Sammi. Grundsau Lodge Nummer Sexa Haaptmann Haas held firm with tradition, saying the groundhog has been the Pennsylvania German's teller of weather for the last 200 years and no raccoon could replace it, no matter how cute she was.Since then, the stuffed Sammi I is seen inside a hollowed out tree stump amid pine boughs and Lodge member Harold Kreger "channels" Sammi I's spirit for the prognostication.Stuffed or not, the event behind Cherry's on Ground Hog Day brings a crowd of about 70-80 faithful followers annually.Why people attendthe yearly event"It's a tradition and I enjoy the comraderie. My late husband, Roger, was a former haaptmann, and we went every year. I feel I still have to go. It honors my Pennsylvania Dutch heritage," says Phyllis Christman Bond, Kresgeville.Her daughter, Julie Weiss of McMichaels, has gone to the event since it began. "It's a tradition and part of my heritage. This was important to my dad and so it became important to me. One of the things on my Bucket List is to someday go see Punxsutawney Phil. It's just a fun thing to do," says Weiss of the event.Why does the Lodge continue holding the annual event?"We're trying to keep our language and heritage alive and this is one way of doing it," says Grundsau Lodge Nummer Sexa member Bob Andrews of Kresgeville. He admits it's becoming a struggle to do that as less people learn to speak Pennsylvania German or understand it.But as long as there are those who are curious enough to find out if Schnogadahl Sammi sees her or shadow or not and want to have a little early morning fun, the Grundsau Lodge Nummer Sexa will continue the tradition.