Several hundred people, including Gothamist, gathered at the Staten Island Zoo early this morning to hear a well-fed rodent's forecast for the remainder of the winter. After the Tottenville High School chorus entertained the crowd local dignitaries and elected officials were introduced. Then, the moment everyone was waiting for. A Brownie troop member was enlisted to coax Staten Island Chuck out of his house with the aid of a few peanuts.
To chants of "Chuck Chuck Chuck" the pudgy prognosicator gathered his thoughts and spoke to City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. Speaker Quinn, having brushed up on her groundhogese all week relayed the news to the crowd. Chuck did not see his shadow. Spring is on the way!
More and a video of Chuck's prediction after the jump...
Chuck's handler Doug Schwartz mentioned that Chuck and his predecessors, all coincidentally named Chuck, have been correct in 23 of his last 27 predictions. He may be right, as we can expect highs in the 40s and 50s for the next week.
Groundhog Day 2008 with Staten Island Chuck from jenchung on Vimeo
The gauntlet was thrown down later when word was received that Chuck's rival rodent, Punxsutawny Phil, whose prognostications have a measly 37% success rate, did see his shadow in Pennsylvania. The Woodchuck Challenge is on!
Chuck, formally known as Charles G. Hogg, VII, was also asked to predict the outcome of the Super Bowl. Although he typically sleeps through much of the football season, Chuck foresaw a glorious Giants victory against the Patriots.
