Flatron Freddy – Boulder’s top-hat-wearing, stuffed marmot and "seer of seers"– made his annual prediction on Feb. 2!
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Flatiron Freddy – Boulder’s top-hat-wearing, stuffed marmot – did not see his shadow. Spring is right around the corner! This year, Flatiron Freddy came in a on a dog sled led by Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) volunteer dog ambassadors. Watch the livestream!
An Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) Ranger helps Flatiron Freddy off a dog sled he rode into the Chautauqua Meadow on Ground Hog Day, Feb. 2, 2024.
OSMP volunteer dog ambassadors bring Flatiron Freddy into the Chautauqua Meadow during Boulder's unique Groundhog Day celebration on Feb. 2, 2024.
Open Space and Mountain Parks' Flatiron Freddy event on Groundhog Day is a quirky, uniquely Boulder tradition that has happened for more than 11 years.
In the early 2010s, Flatiron Freddy existed peacefully as a deceased, stuffed yellow-bellied marmot – a close relative to the groundhog – in Boulder's Flagstaff Nature Center, where stuffed animal mounts are typically stored until the spring. One winter Freddy was inadvertently left out, and his fur was damaged and was about to be removed from the center. However, Rangers felt he deserved more.
Since then, Freddy has become part of an annual Open Space and Mountain Parks Ground Hog Day tradition. In recent years, Freddy has made his way out of his burrow each year in various ways, such as skiing down a trail, driving a car out of his burrow, and even by zip line in a canoe. It’s up to OSMP Rangers to interpret Freddy’s weather forecast.
OSMP Rangers share information about Groundhog Day and Flatiron Freddy on Feb. 2, 2024, during Boulder's Flatiron Freddy public program.
Flatiron Freddy takes a break in OSMP's Ranger Cottage after celebrating Groundhog Day on Feb. 2, 2024.