STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island’s own “Chuck,” the borough’s resident groundhog, will give his annual prediction as to whether there will be an early spring or six more weeks of winter on Monday, Feb. 2.
The Groundhog Day ceremony, which is set to take place at the Staten Island Zoo in West Brighton, will be closed to the public this year due to the weather.
The ceremony, featuring Staten Island Chuck, will begin on Monday at 8 a.m. Fans of Chuck are invited to tune-in and watch the proceedings live on the Staten Island Zoo’s Facebook page. The Staten Island Advance/SILive.com will also be on hand to cover the prediction. You’ll be able to catch the ceremony live from our Facebook page.
As Groundhog Day approaches, let’s take a look at a couple of unforgettable local incidents over the years:
1. Tragic tumble, 2014
As dignitaries surrounded then-mayor Bill De Blasio on Feb. 2, 2014, and a crowd gathered to celebrate Staten Island Chuck’s annual spring prognostication, something unexpected happened.
The groundhog squirmed in the mayor’s gloved hands and fell quickly to the ground.
At the time, the crowd didn’t know that it wasn’t Chuck at all. It was a 10-month-old stand-in groundhog named Charlotte. They laughed off the incident and the day proceeded as usual.
But she died a few days later. And though the Staten Island Zoo issued a statement saying it “appeared unlikely” that young Charlotte’s death was related to the events on Groundhog Day, many were skeptical and blamed the mayor for Charlotte’s untimely demise.
2.Biting banter, 2009
The morning of Feb. 2, 2009, Chuck refused to leave his humble abode. After attempting to coax Chuck from out of his lodging with corn, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg was bitten by Chuck.
The years to follow would further develop the saga between the two figures. Chuck would extend an olive branch of chocolate on Valentine’s Day. Then Bloomberg would respond by raising a set of boxing gloves during a future visit.