‘Biggest Fans’ Of ‘Groundhog Day’ Get Engaged At Woodstock Fest

WOODSTOCK, IL —Woodstock Willie did not see his shadow. The furry prognosticator emerged from his tree trunk in Woodstock Tuesday morning, Groundhog Day, and after much pomp and circumstance, made his prediction, which means we are on track for an early spring. In even more good news, the event — held where the classic movie "Groundhog Day" was filmed — also played host as two superfans got engaged.

The annual festival continued this year with a coronavirus safety plan in place. The highlight of the event happened Tuesday morning when Willie's inner circle coaxed him out of his dark space inside a tree trunk in Woodstock Square and let them know what we should expect regarding the end to this winter.

• Even In Pandemic It's 'Groundhog Day' All Over Again In Woodstock

If he'd seen his shadow, as Groundhog Day legend has it, we'd be bundling up for six more weeks of winter. Woodstock Willie’s ruling differed this year from that of "seer of seers, sage of sages, prognosticator of prognosticators" Punxsutawney Phil, who did see his shadow, predicting a longer winter.

The local prognostication was livestreamed on the Groundhog Days Facebook page. The festival is held in commemoration of the 1993 filming of "Groundhog Day," which stars Bill Murray as a smug weatherman forced to endlessly relive reporting whether the beloved groundhog saw his shadow.

Another highlight from Tuesday morning’s ceremony was a proposal on stage with the groundhog standing by. Before he got down on one knee on stage, the man told the crowd he and his now-fiancée are huge fans of the movie "Groundhog Day."

“We’ve seen it thousands of times,” he said. They came to Woodstock from Kentucky to be a part of the festival.

“There is a real reason why we are here,” he said. “We have been together for three years, and she’s the most loving, compassionate and giving person that I know. And I have a question for her.”

She said yes, they hugged, and he gave Willie a wave before they walked offstage amid applause from the crowd.

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