I’m parked in Groundhog Plaza.

Across the street, a jovial looking rodent grinned at me from a car wash sign as we pulled in.

Erie, we have landed.

We knew we were getting close when “Happy Groundhog Day” began replacing psalms on church signs. Driving into town, the streets were already starting to fill with excited visitors. Groundhogs popped up in almost every shop window, filling me with passing regret that I didn’t bring a whack-a-mole mallet.

A Chinese restaurant looked like a good place to grab a hot meal before adventuring out on the town. The staff was extremely friendly.

“Are you in town to see the groundhog?” our waitress asked as we walked in the door.

“Yup, we sure are!” I said.

“Oh, that’s wonderful. We’ve been very busy tonight,” she said. “Where are you from?”

“We’re from Erie,” I said.

“Oh, wow,” she said earnestly before smiling and trotting away.