Picnicking with a stuffed woodchuck garbed in UB colors and a pointed hat isn't the way most people usually celebrate Groundhog Day, if at all. But then again, the geology department's annual celebratory cookout in the middle of winter in Buffalo isn't conventional either.
Nearly 80 geology professors and students gathered next to the Natural Sciences Complex Wednesday afternoon to grill burgers and hot dogs and poke fun at the impractical concept of Groundhog Day.
"We wanted to show that, from a scientific perspective, Groundhog Day is silly. We're having light fun with it," said geology chair Charles Mitchell. This is the 22nd year for the celebration.
The stuffed groundhog, Ridge Lea Larry, is just as inaccurate as the real, live ones, Mitchell said. The animal was dubbed "Ridge Lea" because the geology department's old home was on Ridge Lea Road from 1975 to 1994.
Unlike the Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pa., the point of the cookout was not to determine how long winter will last based on the creature's shadow, the professors said.
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Wednesday in Pennsylvania, meaning six more weeks of winter, according to the legend.
"It's just great to get outside and do something like this. Geologists are a hardy folk," Mitchell said.
David Borden, a project support specialist in the Center for Advanced Photonic and Electronic Material, served as both master of ceremonies and cook for the event, which he's been doing every year since the cookout originated in 1983.
While students were engaged in conversation and eating outside, others inside looked through Borden's scrapbook of past Groundhog Day cookouts.
"It's about tradition and having a good time after all," Borden said.
Wednesday's mild weather provided for happier attendants and more prolonged stays at the cookout.
"It's actually bearable for once. It's felt like it's below zero the past couple years," said Stephanie Piil, a second year graduate student in geology.
Organizers said the main purpose of the barbeque was to bring faculty and students together.
"The whole department's coming together as one single entity is important," said Shannon Bardo, a senior geology major.
While some came for the food and conversation, others like Anja Dosen, a graduate student in geology, said they came for the company of classmates and professors.
"It's a great way to get close to the professors outside of the restraints of a classroom setting," Dosen said.
