Groundhog Days begins

The kick-off event of Woodstock's Groundhog Days started with a blast tonight. A small crowd braved the 28° F. weather to assemble on the street across from the front of the Woodstock Opera House at 6:00PM, awaiting the Awakening of the Groundhog.

Two blasts captured everyone's attention, and there stood Woodstock Willie on the portico, as it was called, of the Opera House.

The emcee for the event was Craig Krandel, and Mayor Sager was present, too. Photographers and reporters from Patch.com and Midwest Living magazine were there, as well as photographers from other media whom I didn't recognize. Watch the Lake in the Hills Patch http://www.lakeinthehills.patch.com/, probably sometime this week-end.

Some of the photographers (not from patch.com or Midwest Living) were a little insensitive and unaware of the audience for the event. I hope their manners weren't a prelude to Wednesday morning. I believe it was 2-3 years ago that media cameramen thought the entire Groundhog Day (February 2nd) event with the groundhog was being staged for them.