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Quebec Groundhog Day Celebration Carries on Despite Untimely Death of Star Rodent

Groundhog Day festivities carried on in Val-d’Espoir, Quebec, with jaunty dancing and a child predicting six more weeks of winter on Thursday, February 2 – despite the unexpected death of Fred la Marmotte, the star of the annual celebration.

Jour de Fred or Day of Fred was off to a jolly start, with children dancing with a person in a Fred mascot costume and crowds cheering. Then an official announced the bad news.

Nearly 45 minutes into the 51-minute video livestreamed from the event, Jour de Fred committee organizer Roberto Blondin announces the passing of the beloved animal. Gasps from the crowd are heard in the footage. Blondin said that Fred was found dead that morning and that he had likely died while hibernating.

In Fred’s absence, a child at the event held up “a stuffed toy groundhog” that cast a shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter, the Montreal Gazette reported. Credit: Télévision communautaire de Grande-Rivière via Storyful