Groundhog Day feed has been a Weiser tradition for 68 years

The annual Groundhog Day feed is a popular mid-winter tradition in Weiser that always attracts hundreds of hungry diners and will celebrate 68 years on Feb. 2.
 The meal will be served at the Weiser Community Church from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The feed will be a long lunch instead of a lunch and dinner. The church is located at 240 E. Main St.
 This year, Groundhog Day happens to fall on the same Sunday as the Super Bowl. Everyone is invited to enjoy a hearty lunch at the church before tuning in the big game. Super Bowl LIV (54) will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
 The menu of comfort food served at the Groundhog Day feed hasn’t changed over the years, and that’s part of the enduring appeal. The community is invited to enjoy a hearty meal of sausage patties, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, apple sauce, coleslaw and the works, including dessert.  
 The cost is $8 for adults, $5 for kids age 6-12 and kids 5 and under eat free. Due to space limitations in the kitchen, there is no takeout offered.
 Community Church pastor Steve Penner said it takes 35-40 volunteers doing a whole host of duties from cooking to serving to bussing tables to make the Groundhog Day meal a success. He expects to see 500 to 600 people stop by the church to enjoy the homecooked meal.
 “It’s become an opportunity to serve the community,” he said. “It’s a nice community event for everyone.”
 The Groundhog feed began at the old Brethren Church on East 9th and Court streets in Weiser as a fundraiser. The Brethren Church joined with the Congregational Church to become the Community Church and the Groundhog Day feed came with it.
 In the early years a local rancher would donate a large pig for the dinner. The men were in charge of making the homemade sausage patties based on a recipe handed down through the generations, according to local residents who recall the early years of the meal.
 Women would make homemade apple sauce from donated apples and lots of other side dishes and desserts. In the early years of the Groundhog Feed, the church would also have a “country store” in one of the rooms at the same time as the dinner. Local folks could buy all sorts of prepared dishes to take home as a fundraiser for the church.
 Penner said the proceeds from the Groundhog Day dinner are used for different needs, such as the maintenance budget of the church, missions, scholarships or special projects.
 Groundhog Day is a popular tradition celebrated in the U.S. and Canada on Feb. 2. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day sees a shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and winter will persist for six more weeks. If he does not, due to cloudiness, spring will arrive early.
 The Groundhog Day ceremony held at Punxsutawney in central Pennsylvania has become the most attended in the U.S. The annual event features a live groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil.