Lifelong Woodstock resident Angela Boe is putting her artistic flair on this year’s Groundhog Days.Having taught elementary art for 31 years in Crystal Lake School District 47, Boe retired in 2012. The move allowed her to pursue her own love of creating art on her own time.“It is great,” Boe said. “Because you can be […]
By Cheryl Wormley Looking back, it seems fortuitous that Mike Palmquist, co-owner of Knuth’s Sport Outfitters, and I crossed paths in front of the Old Courthouse Feb. 2, 1994. I remember it as if it happened yesterday. Mike had reveled in the filming of “Groundhog Day” on the Square. He’d taken photos, interacted with the […]
As the community gets ready for Feb. 2, the Groundhog Days Committee has been preparing for months to ensure a seamless, coordinated event that spills into all aspects of Woodstock. “It’s been 30 years since the release,” Committee Chairman Rick Bellairs said, “but people never seem to tire of the message. People come from all […]
Staff Report news@thewoodstockindependent.com Students in Woodstock School District 200 are getting into the Groundhog Day mood. Third-graders will participate again this year in a coloring contest (look for the winners to be published in The Independent), and students in middle and high schools will be decorating wood groundhog figures for sale by the D200 Education […]
Groundhog Days are here again … soon. The Groundhog Days Committee has released the 2023 schedule celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of the movie “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Stephen Tobolowski, and, of course, the city of Woodstock. Though the trees have just barely begun losing leaves, committee chairman Rick Bellairs […]
Woodstock has made a lot of good friends from other places lately. For example, Mike Guzman of Houston, Texas, and his buddy, Bryan Stenstrup of Orlando, Florida. And Javier Rueda and Wendy Pita of Chicago, along with Javier’s mother, Rubiela Benitez, from Colombia (the South America nation). Not to mention Kevin and Stephanie Simper, also […]
“It is pretty cool – 02.02.2022,” Houston-area “Groundhog Day” movie superfan Mike Guzman said. He and his friend, Orlando resident Bryan Stenstrup, decided to make the trek to Woodstock for the annual Groundhog Days festival. “It’s funny,” Guzman said. “Bryan was up in this area over Thanksgiving and he had read about this place, and […]
“To my knowledge, there has never been a movie that has usurped the holiday quite like ‘Groundhog Day’ has,” actor Stephen Tobolowsky said. His portrayal of supporting character Ned Ryerson is widely talked about in discussions of the movie, but he said he was still surprised by the way “Groundhog Day” had become greater than […]
By Rick Bellairs 30 years! Who knew? When people approached the city of Woodstock 30 years ago about filming a movie in our town, who would have guessed we would still be talking about it, let alone celebrating it? 2/2/22 Woodstock celebrated the 30th anniversary of the making of the movie Groundhog Day. The festivities […]
Thirty years ago, Chas Friedel sashayed across the floor of Woodstock Moose Lodge 1329 with high school friend Virginia Costello, right next to Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, during the filming of “Groundhog Day.” This past weekend, his son, Nathan Friedel, stood on the very same tiles and was auctioned off – like Phil Connors […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
