Marmot’s need love too

The rest of the country has Groundhog Day but as always we do things a little different here in Alaska.  During last years legislative session Senator Linda Menard’s Senate Bill 58 finally passed and tomorrow marks Alaska’s official first Marmot Day.

In the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, the character Bill Murray played, Phil Connors, wakes up each morning repeating February 2 over and over again.  Phil’s sour and sarcastic attitude carried through each day in the beginning until he finally changed his outlook on things and looked for the positive or meaningful things in life breaking the cycle.

We should all look around for the positive things each day so we do not become in a ‘rut’ going through life in some meaningless existence.

Celebrating Marmot Day in Alaska is not quite like Pennsylvania’s version with Punxsutawney Phil as we did not give our marmots and weather forecasting duties ensuring no one gets blamed for the crazy weather found here.  Groundhogs are not common in Alaska, but Marmots are very abundant in Alaska, especially in the Brooks Range and Hatcher Pass area.

Marmot Day can be celebrated in a variety of ways, and received lots of support from the Alaska Zoo and schools in the state.  The Alaska holiday will be celebrated on February 2 every year.

Come on up to Alaska Bill and we will surely make things interesting in the hopes that with many things to do . . . if you have to repeat a day or two it will be forever memorable.

Ice