Willie’s big day
Posted Feb 1, 2011 02:23:28 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
With the big winter storm coming our way, we might like to have some news of an early spring, but can Wiarton Willie handle the snow?
Tomorrow is not only expected to be the worst winter storm of the season, it’s also Groundhog Day, and Chair of the 2011 Wiarton Willie Festival, Matt Standen, tells 570 News his town will feel some kind of impact from the weather.
Standen says last year Willie’s prediction ceremony alone drew 5,000 tourists and their dollars to the small Bruce Peninsula town — the whole six day Wiarton Willie festival drew 20,000 visitors and at least $2.4 million dollars worth of tourism for Bruce County.
Standen says Wiarton is on the cusp of the storm, but most of their tourists come from Kitchener-Waterloo and Hamilton, where the storm will be at full strength.
They were hoping to double-up last year’s attendance to 40,000 people this year, but adds, in some way, the weather will impact the festival’s economic benefits.
Environment Canada says the winter storm will pretty much stay to the south of a line from Wiarton across to Ottawa.
The albino groundhog is still scheduled to make his prediction at 8:07 a.m. sharp tomorrow for either an early Spring or six more weeks of Winter.
