Mini Page: Celebrity for a Day

February is a frigid month for much of North America. But on Feb. 2, people in the United States and Canada will be thinking about spring.

On Groundhog Day, a small animal will be pulled from a tree stump in Pennsylvania. According to tradition, if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring will begin soon.

This week, The Mini Page learns more about this holiday and its traditions, and about groundhogs themselves.

Southern Historical Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill has digitized copies of the Mini Page. The digital archive stretches from that first effort in 1969 to 2007, when Betty Debnam stepped down as editor and publisher and sold her creation to Universal Press Syndicate. The online archive can be searched by date, issue title, subjects, places and topics.

The highly-competitive, annual Medallions of Excellence Awards program, sponsored by The News-Journal, recognizes outstanding achievements by high school seniors in Volusia and Flagler County (in high schools with more than 25 students in the 2012 graduating class). Medallions of Excellence award winners will be well-rounded students who not only attain academic scholarship but who also excel in extracurricular and community activities in areas including (but not limited to) the arts, sports, volunteerism and/or leadership. Deadline for applications is 3 p.m., Monday, January 23, 2012. Click here for applications, guidelines, key dates, and to see the 2011 winners.