STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island\u2019s own \u201cChuck,\u201d the borough\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019s Facebook page. The Staten Island Advance\/SILive.com will also be on hand to cover the prediction. You\u2019ll be able to catch the ceremony live from our Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n As Groundhog Day approaches, let\u2019s take a look at a couple of unforgettable local incidents over the years: <\/p>\n 1. Tragic tumble<\/a>, 2014<\/p>\n As dignitaries surrounded then-mayor Bill De Blasio on Feb. 2, 2014, and a crowd gathered to celebrate Staten Island Chuck\u2019s annual spring prognostication, something unexpected happened.<\/p>\n The groundhog squirmed in the mayor\u2019s gloved hands and fell quickly to the ground.<\/p>\n At the time, the crowd didn\u2019t know that it wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n But she died a few days later. And though the Staten Island Zoo issued a statement saying it \u201cappeared unlikely\u201d that young Charlotte\u2019s death was related to the events on Groundhog Day, many were skeptical and blamed the mayor for Charlotte\u2019s untimely demise.<\/p>\n