Marmot Day
Marmot Day is an Alaska holiday to celebrate marmots and Alaska culture. It is observed on February 2, replacing Groundhog Day as a day to honor marmots in Alaska. Marmot Day became an official state holiday on April 18, 2009, when the 26th Alaska Legislature passed Senate Bill 58.
The bill was sponsored by Senator Linda Menard of Wasilla. It was first introduced in the 1990s by her husband, the late Dr. Curtis Menard, who wanted to protect Alaska’s folk traditions. After an earlier failure, Menard reintroduced the bill and it finally passed near the end of the session and was signed into law by Governor Sarah Palin. The idea was to build a tradition that honors Alaska’s marmots and culture.
Marmot Day is now an Alaska tradition across the state, from Juneau to Anchorage to Fairbanks.
There is also a Marmot Day celebration in Owosso, Michigan, on July 25 (or the following Monday if the 25th falls on a weekend). It honors all marmots, including groundhogs and other relatives. The Michigan celebration began in 2002 and usually features a luncheon, marmot jokes, and ginger snaps. In recent years it has been held at Covenant Eyes headquarters in Shiawassee County. At 12:45 p.m., a marmot is placed outside its hole; if it goes into the hole, folklore says summer ends, and if it stays out, there will be one more month of summer.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 02:09 (CET).