Friday, February 8, 2013
Philadelphia Phillies' pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater to start spring training in Florida on Wednesday.
This news for sports fans beats news that any groundhog could deliver. It's the sound of a baseball pounding a catcher's mitt with a solid thud that makes most of us feel warmer than any sunny day. On Wednesday, hope springs eternal when pitchers and catchers report to camp in Clearwater, Fla., for the start of spring training. After a dismal season last year, it's time to wipe the slate clean for Manager Charlie Manuel and company. Every team in Major League Baseball gets a new lease on life. And the Phillies could certainly use one after not making the playoffs for the first time in a half-dozen years. This spring training will be very interesting. There are so many questions for a team that didn't do as much as its competitors to …
Saturday, February 2, 2013
The 'groundhogs' see their shadow on a frigid Saturday morning at Wehr's Dam in South Whitehall.
Will spring come early? Not according to "groundhogs" Yahdee and Lee, who took a trip by raft down the Jordan Creek in South Whitehall on Saturday morning as some 70 onlookers braved the frigid morning. The "groundhogs" saw their shadow -- which, according to folklore, means six more weeks of winter. In keeping with Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, Grundsau Lodge No. 16 in Orefield hosted the Groundhog Day event at 7 a.m. along the Jordan Creek. "There’ll be some cold and there’ll be some warm days," said David Adam, the president of Grundsau Lodge No. 16, after Lee (a puppet) whispered to its handlers. "You can get your garden ready the beginning of March," he said. "By St. Patrick’s Day, you can plant your peas." The better-known …
Will it be six more weeks of winter, or will Punxsutawney Phil climb out of the burrow?
On Feb. 2 of each year, according to tradition, the world’s most famous groundhog announces whether or not winter will soon end by either climbing out of his western Pennsylvania burrow, or retreating back to bed. Related story: Groundhog Day Preview: Will Yadhee See His Shadow in Lehigh Valley? But how did a groundhog graduate to meteorologist? Here are a few little-known facts about : 1. The first Groundhog Day was celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in 1886, but it has far deeper roots than that. Historians trace its origin back to Candlemas, a European tradition that said that if a hedgehog saw its shadow the morning of Feb. 2, we haven’t seen the last of winter. The hedgehog was later changed to groundhog when German settlers …
Friday, February 1, 2013
StarWatch 858 for the week of January 27, 2013
By Gary Becker A marvelous little celebration occurs on Saturday, Feb. 2, where a feted groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil, in Punxsutawney, PA, is going to predict whether winter is over or the season of cold will extend to the vernal equinox. P-Phil will speak to his top hat handler in a language known as “groundhogese,” a word absent from the dictionary, to convey his sentiments on the seasonal adjustments. If conditions are gloomy on Feb. 2, and Phil does not see his shadow at daybreak, an early spring is at hand. If, however, the sun is shining and Phil observes his stretched silhouette, the cold will continue for another six weeks. The link between astronomy and Groundhog Day is actually straightforward. We have four major …
Forget Punxsutawney Phil. On Saturday, Feb. 2, Lehigh Valley 'groundhogs' Yahdee and Lee will appear in South Whitehall again to make a prognostication.
Will Yahdee the groundhog see his shadow this year? Punxsutawney has its Phil, but in the Lehigh Valley, Groundhog Day belongs to Yahdee (who has seen a taxidermist) and his grandson Lee (a puppet.) For the sixth time in seven years, Grundsau Lodge No. 16, formed to preserve the language and traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch, will host a Groundhog Day event near Wehr's Dam in South Whitehall. Festivities will get under way at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, with men in top hats, the "groundhogs," and songs sung in Pennsylvania Dutch. Yahdee and Lee will float on a raft (or sled if the creek freezes) 150 feet down Jordan Creek toward Wehr's Dam, then Lee will be brought on land and whisper a prediction to the lodge's president. If the …
Sunday, January 27, 2013
It's that time of the year from the start of January until the end of February where many of us are down in the dumps.
Are you singing the blues? Those "I'm Way Too Cold, I Hate the Winter, It's too Dark Too Early" Blues. I never get excited about the start of a new year. Once the ball drops in Times Square to launch Jan. 1, you'll find me heading for the covers, hoping to hibernate until the sun shines brightly sometime in the spring. This year, I clocked into bed at 12:09 a.m. Why celebrate another new year? It's another year of being older, of watching time slip away too quickly, especially the older you get. And what are you actually celebrating anyway? It's going to be a good month or two of freezing temperatures, dark cloudy days, chilly nights and maybe some snow and ice. Yes, let's have a party! All hope is lost. There's actually a clinical term …
Forget Punxsutawney Phil. On Saturday, Feb. 2, Lehigh Valley "groundhogs" Yahdee and Lee will appear in South Whitehall again to make a prognostication.
Will Yahdee the "groundhog" see his shadow this year? Punxsutawney has its Phil, but in the Lehigh Valley, Groundhog Day belongs to Yahdee (who has seen a taxidermist) and his grandson Lee (a puppet.) For the sixth time in seven years, Grundsau Lodge No. 16, formed to preserve the language and traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch, will host a Groundhog Day event near Wehr's Dam in South Whitehall. Festivities will get under way at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, with men in top hats, the "groundhogs," and songs sung in Pennsylvania Dutch dialect. Yahdee and Lee will float on a raft (or sled if the creek freezes) 150 feet down Jordan Creek toward Wehr's dam, then Lee will be brought on land and whisper a prediction to the lodge's president. …
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The 'groundhogs' made their forecast on an overcast Thursday morning at Wehr's dam in South Whitehall.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
-
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The "groundhogs" have spoken. After a trip down the Jordan Creek in South Whitehall, Yahdee and Lee whispered to their handlers what everyone was hoping to hear -- Spring is around the corner! But don't plant your garden too early, they said. They predicted that the Lehigh Valley will see some snow and ice before Spring's early arrival. In keeping with Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, Grundsau Lodge No. 16 in Orefield hosted the Groundhog Day event at 7 a.m. along the Jordan Creek. Spectators and media crews were on hand as members of the lodge, some in top hats, sang in Pennsylvania Dutch and awaited the prognostication. Not to undermine Punxsutawney Phil, but Yahdee and Lee's prediction differed from that famous groundhog's prediction. Lee …
40.62803
-75.569231
Covered Bridge Park
2465 Wehr Mill Rd, Allentown, PA
/articles/groundhogs-yahdee-and-lee-say-early-spring
1802157
/locations/6302526
Will it be six more weeks of winter, or will Punxsutawney Phil climb out of the burrow?
UPDATE: Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, which means six more weeks of winter. How accurate will Phil’s weather prediction be for 2012? Make sure to take the Patch Poll below! ORIGINAL POST: On Feb. 2 of each year, according to tradition, the world’s most famous groundhog announces whether or not winter will soon end by either climbing out of his western Pennsylvania burrow, or retreating back to bed. If this is any indicator, I’m guessing that Punxsutawney Phil will not only leave his hole in the ground, but will likely set out a lawn chair and enjoy the early spring. But how did a groundhog graduate to meteorologist? Here are a few little-known facts about : 1. The first Groundhog Day was celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in 1886…
james koslosky
12:37 pm on Saturday, February 9, 2013
They must give Ruf a good look. I repeat a good look. more ›