UNADILLA — While Punxsutawney Phil might be the most widely recognized groundhog in the country, Unadilla residents prefer to celebrate their Feb. 2 a little differently, with the governor, a parade and their very own groundhog mascot — Unadilla Bill.
The staple of Saturday's 31st annual festival was the afternoon parade along Main Street, as antique and classic muscle cars rumbled through thick fog.
Gov. Pete Ricketts, who's attended the event several times, and state Sen. Julie Slama took part in the parade.
"I think he thinks it's his lucky charm or something," event coordinator Bob Brandt said of Ricketts. "A lot of people here like him, and we haven't had another governor attend, so it's nice."
Leading the parade was Brandt's 1967 Ford Falcon, complete with cardboard ears and groundhog buck teeth on the grille. The Falcon has made an appearance in every Groundhog Day parade except for one, and Brandt said Saturday it roared to life without a problem.
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The car is primarily used for the parades now, but it's always been a community icon.
"There's folks around here in their 40s who learned how to drive in that," he said.
Sitting atop the hood of the Falcon was Unadilla Bill. Brandt said Unadilla Bill debuted in 1989 after Brandt discovered a group of groundhogs digging up his garden.
A friend agreed to trap the rodents, and with Unadilla Bill being the largest of the group, Brandt sent the carcass to a taxidermist. The stuffed groundhog now is displayed for residents to take pictures with.
Brandt has been in charge of coordinating the festival since its inception in 1988, and was partially responsible for Unadilla becoming the Groundhog Capital of Nebraska.
That's not just a quirky nickname either — former Lt. Governor Bill Nichol signed an official proclamation designating the small Otoe County village as such. Brandt said he and several other Unadilla residents had appealed to then-governor Kay Orr, who had turned them down.
But Brandt's father had worked in the Legislature with Nichol, who got in touch with him while Orr was out of state.
"He says, 'Bob, I heard your problem, and when the governor's out of state, I'm the one in charge,'" Brandt said.
So Nichol invited Brandt and other members of the original volunteer committee to Lincoln one evening, and Nichol let him use the office typewriter to draft the proclamation.
"I typed it out with him and then he signed it right then and there, and here we are now," Brandt said.
The festival features a Groundhog Day royalty competition, which acts as a fundraiser for the Unadilla Community Fund and the volunteer fire department. The king and queen candidates who raise the most money receive the crown, and likely a free beer or two at The Bar later in the evening.
This year, the competition raised more $11,000, a record.Â
In the past, funds have gone toward community improvement, such as a rain shelter in the park. Brandt said the donations have only increased every year since the celebrations began, and the same 30-40 volunteers get together every year to ensure it runs smoothly. He said that devotion is something he attributes to the strong sense of community residents feel.
"For a lot of people, this is like a Unadilla reunion," Brandt said. "We get some out-of-towners, too, so you make new friends and rekindle old ones. Nobody fights, everyone just gets along on Groundhog Day."
One Groundhog Day newcomer, Bill Maher of Lincoln, said he was impressed with the celebration.
"The spirit of small towns is alive and well in Unadilla," Maher said. "For a town to be able to put on something like this, you've got something special."