Is This One Weird Groundhog Day Tradition Or What?

The City of Boulder has been famously described as "14 square miles surrounded by reality," which of course is an exaggeration. I think. In any case, this morning at 8:00 A.M. Boulder celebrates Groundhog Day with an appearance from Flatiron Freddy, a stuffed yellow-bellied marmot. Yes! A stuffed marmot! This takes place at the Chautauqua Ranger Station in Boulder's Chautauqua Park. The article in the Denver Post said that Freddy "will come out of his burrow to make his weather prediction for the rangers to interpret." Of course, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the city holds a very famous festival featuring a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil, who comes out of his burrow, and if he sees his shadow, predicts there will be six more weeks of winter. But Phil is actually alive, and has the ability to see its shadow (assuming, of course, that a groundhog would actually do this). But Flatiron Freddy is stuffed! How can it make a prediction if he is dead? Is this some sort of New Age mysticism, unique to Boulder, that makes people believe a dead marmot can make predictions? It just boggles the mind. And no - I did not take the photograph of Flatiron Freddy on the left. I am not going to get up early in the morning and drive to Boulder to take a photograph of a stuffed marmot. I do have some standards, after all.