Pennsylania's Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow on Gobbler's k**b Monday only to see his shadow.
As the legend goes, that means six more weeks of winter for Phil and his friends.
"And six more weeks of tourism for us," said Jeff Hansen, organizer of the annual Groundhog Day ocean plunge off Hollywood beach. In its 11th year, the event typically draws a hearty bunch of swimmers and an equally gung-ho crew of curious onlookers.
Monday was no different.
More than 70 brave souls raced into the surf, hooting and hollering as waves slapped against their limbs. They made their mad dash for the ocean at 7:25 a.m., the same time Pennsylania's famous groundhog emerged from his burrow on Gobbler's k**b to make his seasonal prediction.
"I'm well-versed in the tradition of Punxsutawney Phil," said Don Spearance, a first-time participant in Hollywood's Groundhog Day ocean plunge. A native of Massachusetts, Spearance said his friends talked him into it, despite it being the day after Super Bowl Sunday.
Hansen, a Dania Beach resident with a home in Punxsutawney, billed the charity event as a hangover cure.
"For a Monday after the Super Bowl, I'm happy with the turnout," Hansen said.
Participants, some in top hat and coat to mimic the formal attire donned by Punxsutawney officials, paid $12 apiece for breakfast at the Ocean Alley Restaurant and Bar at Indiana Street and the Broadwalk.
Those who dared to duck into the ocean were bestowed with souvenir T-shirts. Some had photos taken with Hollywood's version of Punxsutawney Phil, a 6-foot-4 former lifeguard, also known as Wayne Snellgrove when he's not in character.
Monday's forecast for Hollywood called for a low of 61 degrees and a high of 80, according to the National Weather Service. That's a far cry from Punxsutawney, where forecasters predicted a high near 32 and a wind chill factor as low as minus 5.
"I'm not going to do a polar plunge back home," Spearance said after emerging from the relatively benevolent 72-degree ocean. "They're getting a foot of snow. Schools are closed. Roads are closed. They are in a state of emergency."
Spearance and wife Jan, both retired teachers, plan to stay in South Florida until the end of May.
Jan Spearance described the water as "pleasantly refreshing," so unlike the winter waters off Cape Cod.
She wants to give it a go again next year.
"I think we're going to make it an annual tradition," she said of Hollywood's Groundhog Day swim.
Denise Snyder, a friend from Chicago, looked up at the sky and wondered whether the grey clouds meant rain.
"Well I don't see any sign of snow!" Jan said, getting a chuckle from the group. "There's no bad day down here. It's a perfect Groundhog Day."
That sounds good to Hansen, who says many of the event's participants are repeat customers who return year after year.
Proceeds from the event go to Hollywood's Lifeguard Competition Team, Hansen said.
sbryan@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4554
Copyright 2015, Sun Sentinel
Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/hollywood/fl-hollywood-groundhog-day-20150201-story.html
