Will We Have an Early Spring? Find Out on GroundFrog Day
A local small-town tradition brings ‘frognostication’ to the fore
By Seattle Mag December 22, 2014
This article originally appeared in the January 2015 issue of Seattle magazine.
Punxsutawney Phil tends to (ground)hog all the attention, but truth be told, weather-predicting woodchucks are a dime a dozen (see Shubenacadie Sam, Wiarton Willie, General Beauregard Lee). In our rainy climate, we prefer a more amphibian take on meteorology, specifically, a revered bullfrog named Snohomish Slew.
2015 marks the 10th annual GroundFrog Day celebration, in which Slew journeys from the Just Frogs & Friends Amphibian Center in Edmonds to downtown Snohomish, and, with the assistance of his longtime human handler, Thayer Cueter (aka The Frog Lady), prognosticates as to the coming months’ weather. If he stays mum, expect more gloomy days ahead, but if he croaks, consider it a promise of an early spring. Ours is not to question whether the exact same Slew has performed this regal duty over the last decade, nor should we quibble over his status as an invasive species to the Northwest.
Instead, cheer on this year’s crowned frog princess, enjoy the fest-ribbit-ies and hop for spring. 1/31. 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Free. Downtown Snohomish; groundfrogday.com
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