NORTHVILLIANS,

• Groundhog Day is an offshoot of the Christian celebration of Candlemas, which is held every February 2^nd, exactly 40 days after Christmas to bring protection to homes for the rest of the winter.
• Groundhog Day weather predictions were even monitored by the military during WWII.
• The first modern Groundhog Day event was held in 1887.
• According to legend, if the groundhog comes out of his burrow on February 2^nd and doesn’t see its shadow, Spring will come early. If the groundhog sees a shadow, then it goes back into its burrow because winter will last 6 more weeks.
• This day was made famous in Bill Murray’s movie called “Groundhog Day.”

• Planning Commission Meeting – On February 1^st , we saw the continuing process towards site plan approval of the Northville Downs’ 49 acres of thoughtful development. Many good outcomes are in play – daylighting of the currently entombed river and 34% of the development planned for greenspace and parks, with a connection to the River Walk. If you weren’t able to attend via Zoom or in-person, the meeting packet containing the Downs submission can accessed here: Current Planning Packet 
• Winter Evening Hike at Maybury State Park, Saturday February 5^th 6:00 PM. (Pets are welcome on this guided tour – Meet at the Trailhead building at the 8 Mile entrance.)
• Chili in the Ville – Saturday February 26^th, 1-5PM, Downtown Northville. The City & Township Fire Departments along with several restaurants will face off in a HEATED chili competition. Ice Sculptures will be on display, along with the availability of buying 8 samplings for $10.

• Reminder – Free at-home rapid COVID Test Kits: Residential U.S. households can now order one set of 4 free test kits from the USPS here: https://special.usps.com/testkits

Let's look back on past impressive weather events that happened around Groundhog Day in the Ville...
 
1898 – A blizzard came through that caused havoc with the phone & telegraph wires around town. The Western Union and railroad telegraph wires were all down with the heavy ice and snow. Northville was isolated from the world and had to depend on post office deliveries for updated information. Even the town clock was frozen in time, right there at Dunlap & Center above the Stampeddler Plus.

1934 – Over a foot of snow hit Northville after Groundhog Day, and many Ford Model “A”s (last produced in ’31) were battling the elements.

1965 – The Great Groundhog Day Snowstorm.  According to The Record, many in town maneuvered through the streets via skis. Others said it was the worst snow in years, with more than 9 inches deposited quickly in the first few hours of the storm.  More than 50 stranded cars were on 8 Mile in Northville, and over 200 folks were marooned around town. 

1974 – Northville digs out of a 19-inch blast. It was the heaviest snow in nearly a century. Most City streets were impassable.

1978 – The day before the Groundhog celebration, one of the most vicious ice & snowstorms in years hit Northville. Schools and stores were closed most of the week thanks to the 13-inch accumulation on the first day.  Northville grocery stores sold everything on the shelves (sound familiar?).  According to The Record, Grocer John Genitti said, “I sold out of bread within 45 minutes of opening.”

1983 – On the opposite side of the weather front, The Record ran a story “Golfing all 12 Months.” There have been a few years that folks actually golfed locally every month.  One of those years was in ’83, when I hit the Bob-O-Link course with my father all 12 months.  Another article that year, just before Groundhog Day, was entitled “Teed off at Winter.”  With the winter drought that year, snow was a rarity and there were more white Top Flite balls flying around than the usual snowballs.
 
So, as you can see, it’s been a mix of weather during Groundhog Days in the Northville area. Tuesday was a beautiful day in The Ville, with the sun shining and temperatures almost reaching 50 degrees…and then BANG, the heavy ice and snow that we are experiencing now.  Brace yourself for 6 more weeks of white stuff, according to Punxsutawney Phil in PA.
 
I want to thank you for helping those around town in battling through this latest storm. Keep that Northville good-neighbor faith and slow down today to check in on those around you. It’s up to all of us to help other Northvillians weather this and other storms in life.
 
Keep that Northville Faith! … Let’s move forward helping others … TOGETHER!