It's time for the groundhog to look for it's shadow, but since Punxsutawney Phil is native to Pennsylvania we decided to pick our own Groundhog Day mascot.

There are a lot of people, animals and things we could have chosen, so before we tell who our pick is here are some of the runner ups:

The escaped cow - it was on the loose and roaming the Utica area for months before it was finally wrangled. We don't know if we could catch it long enough for it to see it's shadow.

Utica's Peregrine Falcons - the falcons call the nest atop of the Adirondack bank building in Downtown Utica home and have recently hatched a coupe of chicks, so we decided not to bother the new parents.

Audie the Utica Comets mascot - Audie was a popular choice, but since he thrives in winter-like atmospheres we didn't think he would call for spring fast enough.

Big Frog 104's Polly Wogg - Polly was so close to being the winner because who doesn't love Polly? And you know watching her search for her shadow would be entertaining, but we know she would always call for spring as fast as possible and we need a mascot as fair as Punxsutawney Phil.

The Utica Zoo's Giant Watering Can - The world's largest watering can was our first runner up for the title of Utica's Punxsutawney Phil. We figured if the water is flowing spring is coming soon and if the water is frozen then we're stuck with winter for a while.

But it just couldn't beat out the winner......

 

AND UTICA'S VERSION OF PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL IS

 

RAINBOW YOUNG!

Luke Austin, TSM
Luke Austin, TSM
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We're not sure if there is a Utica institution more recognizable than Rainbow.

You can always find him around Utica with his guitar, ready and willing to sing you a song. Especially his own version of the Birthday Song:

Rainbow is Utica's favorite musician and has a knack for making everyone he meets smile. That's why we chose him as Utica's Punxsutawney Phil.

It really doesn't matter if he can predict the weather, because he always brightens our day in Utica!


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