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Sugar Grove Slim Makes Rounds on Groundhog Day

SugarGroveSlim
Jim Sparger and Sugar Grove Slim stopped by the High Country Press office on Groundhog Day 2017. Photo by Jesse Wood

By Jesse Wood

Sugar Grove Slim made the rounds in the High Country today for Groundhog Day.

Every year on his favorite holiday, Jim Sparger of Sugar Grove stops by the High Country Press office – among other stops such as daycare centers, schools and churches – to give daisies to Slim’s female admirers.

“I like Groundhog Day because animals are smarter than we are. This is the only time we have a day for them that we don’t eat them,” Sparger said. “Slim and I have been going around and teaching, especially to kids, about the groundhog. This is a very good year to do that because they’ve already been out.”

Sparger said it was so warm two weeks ago that groundhogs came out of hibernation. Then they went back in and came back up. Sparger said that’s the first time he can recall the groundhog coming out early.

“It wasn’t just the groundhog – birds and animals, too,” Sparger said.

As for any predictions, Sparger noted that Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania saw his shadow, so that means six more week of winter.

“But this is Boone, so in theory that means 8 to 10 more weeks of winter,” Sparger said.