Smile for Today ~

Ever sent out an invitation with a catchy phrase?  A guy in Wiarton, Ontario back in 1956 sent his friends a "Groundhog Day" invitation.  It was his novel way of having friends in to see his family home.

One of these invitations came to the attention of a Toronto Star reporter who naturally headed out to Wiarton for the story.  After partying all night in the Arlington Hotel with Mac McKenzie and his friends, the reporter suggested to Mac that in order to justify his expenses, this story needed some substance.

Never lacking for imagination, the creator of "Groundhog Day" eager to help the reporter, grabbed his wife's fur hat, dug a hole in the ground, buried the furry thing and pronounced a "prognostication (that no one remembers.)"

The photograph appeared in the February 3, 1956 edition of the Toronto Star.  The following year, 50 people arrived for the festival, including the CBC and Canadian Press.

Source:  Wikipedia 

"HAPPY GOUNDHOG DAY!"