Celebrate Groundhog Day, America’s most meaningless holiday, by paying a visit to Downtown Woodchuck, Nashville’s greatest rodent. (Newsflash, numbnuts: Groundhogs and woodchucks are the same thing, and they’re also sometimes called whistle-pigs.)
Downtown Woodchuck (Dee Dubs for short) is the burnt-orange roly-poly little groundhog who lives in a burrow on the bush-covered hill north of Fort Nashborough, right along the Cumberland River. I would see him there nearly every day last summer while walking along the Music City Bikeway, and sometimes he even had his little woodchuck friends with him. One time, during the CMA Music Festival, Dee Dubs sat up on a rock and watched Uncle Kracker’s performance. It was adorable (albeit sad to discover he has such crappy taste in music).
He’s one of my most favorite things about Nashville. He’s always there, looking content, chowing down leaves. I love him. But if you do stop by to say hi, let’s not overwhelm him with too much attention — he’s not looking to be a celebrity like Punxsutawney Phil. That guy’s a jerk.
