Show Transcript for February 2nd
Welcome to February 2nd on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the tasty side of the American dream and responsible critter stalking. More after the break from our founder, Marlo Anderson.
The story of the golden crispy nuggets of potatoes made from the cast off bits of french fries begins with two brothers in 1934. Nephi and Golden Grigg were dabbling in frozen food production when they decided to purchase the plant they had rented along the Oregon Idaho border. The Food Company now known as Ore-Ida produces an abundance of tasty tater tots from the peelings that were once used to feed cattle. On National Tater Tot Day, when someone asks “You gonna eat those tots?” don’t be stingy, share the remnants of the American Dream.
Everyone knows that the star of Groundhog Day is Punxsutaney Phil, but where did this rodent stalking come from? The tradition of predicting the length of the remaining winter is intertwined with the early Christian celebration of Candlemas, in which clergy would bless candles, symbolizing the “the light of the world.” German settlers to America, brought their winter divination practice which used to include hedgehogs and the more plentiful Groundhog took its place. No matter how you break up the doldrums of winter, be kind to critters and keep the paparazzi flashbulbs to a minimum on National Groundhog Day.