Club casts woolly weather predictions

It’s official: The winter in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, will be mild, but snowy.

Woolly worms' stripes warn of winter's weather wrath.

The Woolly Worm Winter Weather Prognostication Festival logo.

The prediction comes straight from the 10th annual Woolly Worm Winter Weather Prognostication Festival, an event sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Buffalo Valley AM in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

“Our club got involved around 1999 when we obtained a new member, Mike Glazer,” says club member Richard “Rich” Barlett. “He started a small ceremony in 1997 because he wanted Lewisburg to have something similar to what Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, has for Groundhog Day.

“Once he joined our club, we approached him about having our Kiwanis club take it over and turn it into an all-day event.”

So, under Kiwanis management, what started as a few people gathering for about 15 minutes became a full-day festival that not only predicts the severity of the winter, but also offers kiddie rides, games, music and entertainment, woolly worm races, crafts, souvenirs, and plenty of food.

As one of the club’s main fundraisers, the proceeds greatly benefit the club’s charities. And all the fanfare surrounding the festival does wonders for the club’s community profile as well.

“We get meteorologists and our local NBC channel to assist with the judging,” Rich says.

That “judging” is how the weather is predicted. Is it scientific? You decide:

“The judges have some ‘secret formula’ they use,” Rich says. “They look at the ratio of the brown to black fur, thickness of the fur, size, weight, etc. According to Mike, they have been accurate 107 percent of the time. It’s a fun event!”