The groundhog Punxsutawney Phil in 2012

According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its
burrow on this day, then spring will come early; if it is sunny, it will then
see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather
will continue for six more weeks.

An early reference to Groundhog Day in America can be found in a diary
entry, dated February 4, 1841, of James Morris, a storekeeper in Berks
County, Pennsylvania.

The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pa
where crowds as large as 40,000 have gathered to celebrate the
holiday since at least 1886.

High School yearbook, 1958

James Oliver Cromwell made his acting debut on the NBC-
TV show, ‘The Rockford Files’ in 1974. His notable films
include Babe (1995), for which he was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First
Contact (1996), L.A. Confidential (1997), and The Green
Mile (1999).

January 14,1982

Note: As of January 12, 2012, J. Fred Muggs and his "live-in girlfriend"
Phoebe B. Beebe (who also made appearances on the Garroway Show) 
were still alive in Citrus Park, Florida. Muggs will be 61 on March 14. 

Muggs and lady friend Phoebe with Dave

Mister Ed is a situation comedy produced by Filmways that
first aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and
then on CBS from October 1, 1961 to February 6, 1966.

The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade was Originally called Macy’s 
Christmas Parade  and featured four hundred employees from the store 
accompanied by real animals from Central Park Zoo along with bands, 
balloons, and floats. It was the beginning of a holiday tradition that has
become a piece of Americana. The giant helium filled balloons were
added to the annual event in 1927.

Santa’s float