Bill Webster II holds the coin at this year’s GroundFrog Day Jan. 27 at the Snohomish Carnegie.
Diego Soto of Sotos Photos
SNOHOMISH — GroundFrog Day lives, as the organizers of Kla Ha Ya Days will be continuing the annual January event starting next year.
The handoff plan emerged shortly before this year’s GroundFrog Day Jan. 27. The Snohomish Chamber of Commerce had planned to retire it after 17 years.
The morning of the event, master of ceremonies Bill Webster II decided to use an oversized plastic coin to flip: Tails for sunny weather ahead, heads for six more weeks of winter. This year it was heads.
Webster said GroundFrog Day will be used to announce the nonprofit recipients of grants given by Kla Ha Ya Days.
This year’s announced recipients are the Boys and Girls Club; the Snohomish Education Foundation; the Snohomish fire explorers; the Snohomish Sheriff’s and Search and Rescue explorers; the Snohomish Healing Project, an initiative to get meals to people with serious health issues; and the YES Together Foundation, which teaches youth art in natural settings.
The grants are given each fall from any events from Kla Ha Ya Days’ profits. Last year, $20,000 was spread in the community.
GroundFrog Day’s future format could continue using a coin flip to predict, but Webster said he’s open to suggestions.
The event will not use a live frog to predict the weather again like it did in its first 15 years, Webster said.
Kla Ha Ya Days will also be running the Easter Parade starting in 2024 as the Chamber handed it off, too.
