French Creek Freddie is West Virginia’s version of Punxsutawney Phil, Pennsylvania’s weather-prognosticating groundhog. Every Groundhog Day, February 2^nd, at 10 a.m., French Creek Freddie pops his head out of his den in Upshur County, often with a bit of prompting. If the sun is shining and he sees his shadow, he darts back in, predicting—according to legend—another six weeks of winter. If he stays outside, it signifies an early spring.

The origin of Groundhog Day indirectly dates back to the early Christian church and the Christmas-Epiphany tradition of Candlemas, when clergy blessed people’s candles for the year. As a Winter Solstice ritual, it was an opportune time to guess how long the season would last. In German tradition, a badger or hedgehog seeing its shadow on Candlemas became a sign of a long winter. German immigrants to Pennsylvania adapted the tradition to rely on groundhogs, which were more common in that area. Other states have their own versions, including Colorado’s Stormy Marmot.

West Virginia’s resident rodent meteorologist first arrived on the scene in 1978. As with Punxsutawney Phil, there have been numerous French Creek Freddies because groundhogs live, on average, only two to three years, although some have survived in captivity up to 14 years.

His name is derived from the French Creek Game Farm in Upshur County, renamed the West Virginia State Wildlife Center in the 1980s. By the time of that change, French Creek Freddie had become an established name, plus it would have been difficult to come up with a clever alliterative moniker for the West Virginia State Wildlife Center.

French Creek Freddie was the brainchild of Bill Vanscoy, who became superintendent of the site in 1972. Looking for ways to build the public’s enthusiasm for wildlife in general, he based his idea on the thinking that Punxsutawney Phil is “not the only groundhog in the world.” When asked by a reporter prior to the first ceremony, he apparently made up the name on the spot.

The ceremonies themselves, while not nearly as large as the Pennsylvania event, have become popular light-hearted moments intended to pick up people’s spirits in the coldest, darkest days of winter. As Vanscoy told Wonderful West Virginia magazine in 2019, “About the second of February is when everybody needs a little levity in their lives.”

On the big day, a human-sized groundhog mascot, donning an Abe Lincoln-like top hat, parades about the grounds posing for photos with visitors. Just before the big moment, a band performs the day’s official theme song, “Are You Ready for French Creek Freddie?”

As in Punxsutawney and elsewhere, things occasionally go awry. Like many people, Freddie sometimes prefers to sleep in rather than face the bitter cold awaiting outside. One year, Freddie bit a TV reporter on the ankle. However, for the most part, Freddie goes along with the plan. Afterward, attendees are treated to refreshments while debating their own weather predictions.