Marjory Armstrong shows the groundhog she made during Almonte Country Haven's Groundhog Day celebration. 
Groundhogs and pancakes kick off February at Almonte
Wednesday February 6, 2008 -- Deron Hamel
February is off to a busy start at Almonte Country Haven, as residents and staff members at the Ottawa-area long-term care home kicked off Groundhog Day and Pancake Tuesday.

According to North American lore, every Feb. 2 the groundhog comes out of its burrow and if it sees its shadow we can expect six more weeks of winter. If the groundhog doesn’t see its shadow we can expect an early spring.

However, Groundhog Day at Almonte Country Haven was a little different. With the help of staff members from the life enrichment department, eight residents made their own groundhogs in celebration of the day.

On Feb. 1, residents and staff members baked chocolate cupcakes which would form the faces of the little groundhogs. On the morning of Groundhog Day, the cupcakes were decorated with Smarties candy for eyes, marshmallows for teeth and cookies for ears.

“The residents had a blast with them; they thought it was really cute,” says life enrichment co-ordinator Darlene Thibault, adding that this marked the first time the home had celebrated Groundhog Day.

On Feb. 5, the home celebrated Pancake Tuesday — also called Shrove Tuesday. Pancake Tuesday marks the day before the start of Lent — Ash Wednesday — when Roman Catholics traditionally fast for 40 days. Like the Groundhog Day events, this was the first time Pancake Tuesday was observed.

Because of their high-calorie content, pancakes or crepes are traditionally eaten prior to the start of Lent.

About 15 of the home’s residents participated in the event, which began with a meal featuring pancakes and waffles. The day before, residents played games to mark the holiday, including the pancake relay race.

In the relay, residents were given large plastic spatulas to flip pancakes into a bucket. After getting the pancake into the bucket, residents had to take it out and hand it to the next resident.

Thibault says residents enjoyed the festivities.

“It was a blast . . . there were lots of giggles,” she says.