It’s the news we’ve all been waiting for.

“It looks like the groundhog is pretty content here, not disturbed by anything so judging by what I see here and how the groundhog’s behaving I would say we’re going to have early spring weather,” said Bob Will, Dunkirk Dave’s handler.

Will says groundhogs are the only animal honored on the calendar.

“Sun’s gonna be hotter on our faces now in the next few days, it’s the middle of winter, it marks the middle of the winter. Everyone enjoys finding these things out and seeing the groundhog.” 

Will wasn’t joking about people looking forward to seeing Dunkirk Dave. People from all over the area came out in the dark to see and hear his prediction.

“We were in Punxsutawney last year. We just thought we’d go there, it was so much fun and we just wanted to come locally and see the local groundhog,” said Ann Marie Kaczmarczyk, of Angola.

For some, it was continuing a tradition.

“Last year he barely ate any of the pie and was not very long, and this year he was out and letting people take pictures with him,” said Ryland Coombs, of Jamestown. 

For others, it’s the beginning.  

Paulette Morin is from Dunkirk, but it’s her first time seeing Dunkirk Dave.

“I’m thrilled that there will be an early spring or spring-like weather, as Mr. Will said it does not predict the seasons just the weather, but that’s great,” said Morin.

“It’s always the light at the end of the snowy tunnel,” said Pamela Corsoro, Dunkirk. “This has been a mild winter, but if you’ve had a bad winter it’s always nice, like, ‘oh we’ve got some hope.'”