Marmot Day is an

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

n holiday established to celebrate

marmot Marmots are large ground squirrels in the genus ''Marmota'', with 15 species living in Asia, Europe, and North America. These herbivores are active during the summer, when they can often be found in groups, but are not seen during the winter, w ...

s and Alaskan culture. Although local festivals have been part and parcel of frontier life for decades, Marmot Day became an official holiday on April 18, 2009, when the 26th Alaska State Legislature officially passed Senate Bill 58. Marmot Day is celebrated on February 2, replacing

Groundhog Day Groundhog Day ( pdc, Grund'sau dåk, , , ; Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a popular North American tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges from ...

with a holiday honoring Alaska's marmots. From

Juneau The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...

Anchorage Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

Fairbanks Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...

, and all the cities in between, Marmot Day has become an Alaskan institution.

Alaskan Senate Bill

Senate Bill 58, sponsored by Sen.

Linda Menard Linda K. Menard (born December 21, 1943) is a former Republican member of the Alaska Senate. She represented the G District from 2009 through 2012. She had previously served for over a decade on the Matanuska-Susitna Borough school board, inc ...

, R-

Wasilla Wasilla ( Dena'ina: ''Benteh'') is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the fourth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the st ...

, was first introduced by the late Dr. Curtis Menard, Linda Menard's husband and former state legislator. Concerned by the gradual decline of Alaska's folk values, Dr. Menard proposed his idea of creating Marmot Day in the 1990s. After getting stuck in a committee, the controversial Marmot Day bill died in the legislature. Sen. Linda Menard reintroduced the bill for the 26th Alaska Legislature, and the bill passed on the second to last day of the legislative session, and

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

signed it into law. As Senator Menard said, "By recognizing the marmot, our state uilta tradition and legacy to be built on for future generations.

Distinguished from Marmot Day in Owosso, Michigan

Marmot Day is also the name of a community celebration in

Owosso, Michigan Owosso is the largest city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,194 at the 2010 census. The city is mostly surrounded by Owosso Township on its west, but the two are administered autonomously. The city wa ...

, occurring on July 25 (or on the following Monday if the 25th falls on a weekend). It is a celebration of all marmots, which include groundhogs, woodchucks, and ground squirrels. Marmot Day was first celebrated in 2002 as a day celebrating all marmots. A luncheon is traditional as part of the celebration, marmot jokes and ginger snaps are shared, among other festivities typical of party celebrations. In recent years the celebration has been held at the

Covenant Eyes Accountability software, or shameware, is a type of surveillance software that records the user's Internet activity and reports it to an authority figure, such as a parent, teacher, spouse or religious leader, sometimes called an accountability pa ...

global headquarters in

Shiawassee County Shiawassee County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 68,094. The county seat is Corunna, and the largest city in the county is Owosso. In 2010, the center of population ...

. At 12:45 P.M., a marmot is positioned outside its hole, and if it goes into its hole, legend has it that summer is over; if it does not go into its hole, there will be one more month of summer. "Marmot Mania"
Argus-Press.com. Retrieved 2012-07-10.

References

{{reflist, 2 2002 establishments in Michigan 2009 establishments in Alaska Annual events in Alaska February observances July events Festivals in Michigan Recurring events established in 2002 Recurring events established in 2009 State holidays in the United States