Eastern Plumas/Sierra Counties February Newsletter by Dickson Realty

Contents

Portola Office & Average vs. Median Pricing Sales Statistic Reports

Pg.

2 3-7

Guild Mortgage Corner

California Assn. REALTORS® Press Release

Leap Year – How It Came To Be

10-11

Holiday Calendar for Leap Year 2020

Tips for Getting Better Gas Mileage

Fun Facts About Groundhog Day

February Event Calendar and Event Details

15-16

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

The Dickson Realty Portola Team is always available to provide excellent and dedicated client service whether you are considering buying or selling a home. Our team of seasoned professionals, all REALTORS®, possess the most current and comprehensive market information and, combined with their knowledge and experience, they are uniquely qualified to be expert guides in your real estate venture. Call, e-mail, visit our office, or access us on the web. We are here for you 24/7. Office Phone: 530-832-1700 Email: portolainfo@dicksonrealty.com Web: www.Dicksonrealty.com

In real estate market reports you often see statistical comparisons that show the Market Average Pricing and/or the Market Median Pricing. These pricing models differ in result and you may wonder why. Below is a simple explanation for your interest. Although there is always debate on which number to consider when making decisions, both are valid. “Wordsmiths sometimes dislike numbers, or at least have a hard time grasping them. These words offer us an opportunity to better understand numbers and use their terms more precisely in writing and speaking. Let's say we have a set of numbers: •11 •23 •30 •47 •56 The mean, sometimes called the arithmetic mean, of this set is 33. The mean is the sum of all the numbers in the set (167) divided by the amount of numbers in the set (5). The median is the middle point of a number set, in which half the numbers are above the median and half are below. In our set above, the median is 30. But what if your number set has an even number of numbers: •11 •23 •30 •47 •52 •56 To calculate the median here, add the two middle numbers (30 + 47) and divide by 2. The median for our new list is 38.5. So far, so good. But what about average? The average of a set of numbers is the same as its mean; they're synonyms.” Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

NEWS YOU CAN USE FEBRUARY 2020 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES Beckwourth, Chilcoot, Clio, Graeagle-Blairsden, Loyalton, Portola & Golf Course Communities of Whitehawk, Grizzly & Gold Mtn. This monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reports are year-to-date comparisons of sales statistics for YE December 2018 compared to YE December 2019; showing median and average sales pricing, lowest/highest sales, average days on market and total number of sales in the 12-month comparison period. The sales shown are for Single Family Residential Condominiums and Townhouses in each of the market areas. (Time share and/or shared ownership are not included in the statistics presented.) The data source is the Plumas Multiple Listing Service with data pulled on January 10, 2020

GRAEAGLE-BLAIRSDEN

Year To Date

DECEMBER 2018 265,500 341,344 81,000 1,575,000 173 85

DECEMBER 2019 285,000 319,068 48,000 798,000 136 75

Column1

Median Sales Price Average Sold Price Lowest Sold Price Highest Sold Price Average Days on Market Homes Sold

$ $ $ $

$ $ $ $ $ $

% Change 7% -7% -41% -49% -21% -12%

Graeagle-Blairsden $400,000 $350,000 $300,000 $250,000 $200,000 $150,000 $100,000 $50,000 $-

$341,344 $285,000

$265,500

$319,068

2018

2019

DECEMBER

Year To Date

Median Sales Price

Average Sold Price

GOLF COMMUNITIES

Year To Date

Whitehawk, Grizzly Ranch, Gold Mountain

DECEMBER 2018 390,000 479,028 250,000 1,133,000 174 20

DECEMBER 2019 535,000 561,205 312,500 1,125,000 182 17

Column1

Median Sales Price Average Sold Price Lowest Sold Price Highest Sold Price Average Days on Market Homes Sold

$ $ $ $

$ $ $ $ $ $

% Change 37% 17% 25% -1% 5% -15%

Golf Communities Whitehawk, Grizzly Ranch, Gold Mountain $600,000 $500,000 $479,028

$400,000 $300,000

$535,000 $561,205

$390,000

$200,000 $100,000 $2018

2019

DECEMBER

Year To Date

Median Sales Price

Year To Date

Average Sold Price

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

PORTOLA Column1

Median Sales Price Average Sold Price Lowest Sold Price Highest Sold Price Average Days on Market Homes Sold

$ $ $ $

Year To Date

DECEMBER 2018 158,000 188,345 40,000 715,000 155 67

DECEMBER 2019 191,500 208,793 45,000 208,793 160 64

$ $ $ $ $ $

% Change 21% 11% 13% -71% 3% -4%

Portola $250,000 $200,000 $150,000

$191,500

$188,345

$208,793

$158,000

$100,000 $50,000 $2018

2019

DECEMBER

Year To Date

Median Sales Price

LOYALTON Column1

Median Sales Price Average Sold Price Lowest Sold Price Highest Sold Price Average Days on Market Homes Sold

$ $ $ $

Average Sold Price

Year To Date

DECEMBER 2018 267,500 273,194 107,500 459,000 94 18

DECEMBER 2019 260,000 267,653 167,500 360,000 182 13

$ $ $ $ $ $

% Change -3% -2% 56% -22% 94% -28%

Loyalton $275,000 $273,194

$270,000 $265,000

$267,653

$267,500

$260,000

$255,000 $250,000 2018

2019

DECEMBER

Year To Date

Median Sales Price

Year To Date

Average Sold Price

Dickson Realty is dedicated to helping you keep a pulse on the local market and real estate related information by providing the latest news, trends, and issues affecting the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s real estate market. Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

BECKWOURTH

Year To Date

DECEMBER 2018 320,500 463,916 70,000 1,450,000 267 6

DECEMBER 2019 490,000 467,500 205,000 685,000 151 4

Column1

Median Sales Price Average Sold Price Lowest Sold Price Highest Sold Price Average Days on Market Homes Sold

$ $ $ $

CHILCOOT

$ $ $ $ $ $

Year To Date

Column1

Median Sales Price Average Sold Price Lowest Sold Price Highest Sold Price Average Days on Market Homes Sold

$ $ $ $

DECEMBER 2018 189,250 198,375 150,000 265,000 203 4

CLIO

Year To Date

Note: Whitehawk is in Golf Communities

DECEMBER 2018 367,500 318,616 110,000 734,000 196 8

Column1

Median Sales Price Average Sold Price Lowest Sold Price Highest Sold Price Average Days on Market Homes Sold

$ $ $ $

Beckwourth $600,000

% Change 53% 1% 193% -53% -43% -33%

$500,000 $400,000 $300,000 $200,000

$320,500

$100,000 $2018

2019

DECEMBER

Year To Date

$ $ $ $ $ $

Year To Date

Median Sales Price

Year To Date DECEMBER 2019 312,500 281,666 80,000 400,000 98 6

$ $ $ $ $ $

Average Sold Price

Beckwourth $600,000 $500,000

% Change 65% 42% -47% 51% -52% 50%

$400,000 $300,000 $200,000

$463,916

$490,000 $467,500

$320,500

$100,000 $2018

2019

DECEMBER

Year To Date

Median Sales Price

Year To Date DECEMBER 2019 462,500 594,785 200,000 1,417,000 162 7

$490,000 $467,500

$463,916

Average Sold Price

Clio $700,000 $600,000

% Change 26% 87% 82% 93% -17% -13%

$594,785

$500,000 $400,000 $300,000 $200,000

$462,500 $367,500

$318,616

$100,000 $2018

2019

DECEMBER

Year To Date

Median Sales Price

Average Sold Price

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

2nd Qtr 2019

Beckwourth

205,000

490,000

Chilcoot

275,000

400,000

370,000

215,000

Clio

858,500

629,250

200,000

494,000

Graeagle-Blairsden

303,244

330,000

280,000

271,000

Loyalton

277,500

250,000

299,000

167,500

Portola

175,000

231,500

160,000

223,000

Golf Course Communities

470,000

423,750

399,000

700,000

3rd Qtr 2019

4th Qtr 2019

685,000

2019 MEDIAN PRICE TREND BY QUARTER 2nd Qtr 2019

3rd Qtr 2019

4th Qtr 2019

470,000 423,750 399,000 223,000

231,500 175,000

167,500

160,000

280,000 271,000

200,000

215,000

275,000 -

205,000

277,500 250,000 299,000

303,244 330,000

400,000 370,000

490,000

494,000

629,250

685,000

700,000

858,500

1st Qtr 2019

BECKWOURTH

CHILCOOT

CLIO

GRAEAGLE-BLAIRSDEN

LOYALTON

PORTOLA

GOLF COURSE COMMUNITIES

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

$ COST PER SQ. FOOT

1st Qtr 2019

2nd Qtr 2019

Beckwourth

115

281

282

Chilcoot

148

177

203

187

Clio

320

227

200

243

Graeagle-Blairsden

177

213

190

173

Loyalton

160

173

139

176

Portola

124

144

122

137

Golf Course Communities

235

191

212

240

PER QUARTER

3rd Qtr 2019

4th Qtr. 2019

2019 PRICE ACHIEVED PER SQ. FOOT BY QUARTER 2nd Qtr 2019

3rd Qtr 2019

4th Qtr. 2019

240

191

212

213

176

173

137

144 124

115 -

122

139

148

160

173

177

190

200

187

177

203

227

235

243

282

281

320

1st Qtr 2019

BECKWOURTH

CHILCOOT

CLIO

GRAEAGLE-BLAIRSDEN

LOYALTON

PORTOLA GOLF COURSE COMMUNITIES

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

GUILD MORTGAGE CORNER

Loan limits are going up in 2020! Good news! Higher Conventional loan limits mean you have more buying power. Best of all, you can start shopping now and qualify under the new 2020 loan limits.*

General loan limits Units

Maximum loan amounts

(All areas EXCEPT AK, HI, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands)

(AK, HI, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands ONLY)

2020

2019

2020

2019

$510,400

$484,350

$765,600

$726,525

$653,550

$620,200

$980,325

$930,300

$789,950

$749,650

$1,184,925

$1,124,475

$981,700

$931,600

$1,472,550

$1,397,400

High-cost area loan limits Units

Maximum loan amounts (All areas EXCEPT AK, HI, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands)

2020

2019

$765,600

$726,525

$980,325

$930,300

$1,184,925

$1,124,475

$1,472,550

$1,397,400

Questions? Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talk. Katie Rice

If you have any questions regarding loan limits, refinancing or purchasing a home, please feel free to reach out to The Rice Team. 11050 Pioneer Trail Suite 201 Truckee, CA 96161 Phone: (530) 582-9991 Fax: (530) 582-9995. Web:wwwTheRiceTeam.com

Sales Manager NMLS ID# 308387 11050 Pioneer Trail Suite 201 Truckee, CA 96161 O: 530.582.9991 krice@guildmortgage.net Apply Online www.thericeteam.com

I am authorized to do business in the state of California. Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act; Guild Mortgage Company is an Equal Housing Lender; Company NMLS ID 3274 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). All information, loan programs & interest rates are subject to change without notice. All loans subject to underwriter approval. Terms and conditions apply. Always consult an accountant or tax advisor for full eligibility requirements on tax deduction. *2020 loan limits can be originated and closed as early as December 9, 2019.

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

House passes bill to temporarily repeal SALT cap For release: December 19, 2019 California REALTORS® applaud House vote to temporarily repeal SALT deduction limit LOS ANGELES (Dec. 19) – The C AL IF O RN IA AS SO CIATION O F RE AL TO RS ® (C.A.R.) today issued the following statement in response to the House passage of H.R. 5377, a bill that temporarily eliminates the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions for 2020 and 2021. The Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act would also increase the cap to $20,000 for married couples for 2019. “We are pleased that the House has passed a bill to temporarily eliminate the cap on the amount of state and local tax that taxpayers can deduct on their federal tax returns. The combined hit of a reduction in the mortgage interest deduction and current $10,000 SALT cap in the tax law has disproportionately hurt taxpayers and real estate in California,” said C.A.R. President Jeanne Radsick, a second-generation REALTOR® from Bakersfield, Calif. “Ensuring the tax code incentivizes housing and real estate will continue to be a top priority for REALTORS ®, and C.A.R. thanks the many California Congressional members who support easing the double taxation penalty that harms California homeowners.” Leading the way... ® in California real estate for more than 110 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS ® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 200,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

creates a much bigger problem than one might suspect. The evidence lies in a long history of wildly shifting dates and accompanying civil, agricultural, and religious chaos. That's why most of the modern world has adopted the Gregorian calendar and its leap year system to allow days and months to stay in step with the seasons. “We've made a calendar that comes close,” Lowe says, “but to make it work you have to do these leap day tricks that have some quirky rules.”

The Surprising History Behind Leap Year The ancient Egyptians did it, and so do we. Here's how a leap day— which occurs February 29—helps keep our calendars and societies in sync. BY BRI A N HA NDWE RK

I T ' S T H A T T I M E again: Saturday, February 29, is a leap day, the calendar oddity that occurs (almost) every four years. For centuries, trying to sync calendars with the length of the natural year caused confusion—until the concept of leap year provided a way to make up for lost time. “It all comes down to the fact that the number of Earth's revolutions about its own axis, or days, is not equal to or connected in any way to how long it takes for the Earth to get around the sun,” says John Lowe, leader of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)'s Time & Frequency Division. The solar, or tropical, year is approximately 365.2422 days long. No calendar comprised of whole days can match that number, and simply ignoring the seemingly small fraction

Ancient Timekeeping Efforts to make nature's schedule fit our own have been imperfect from the start. Some ancient calendars, dating to the Sumerians 5,000 years ago, simply divided the year into 12 months of 30 days each. Their 360-day year was nearly a week shorter than our annual journey around the sun. The practice of adding extra days to the year is at least as old as these 360-day systems. “When the Egyptians adopted this calendar, they were aware that there was a problem, but they didn't add any more days to the calendar,” says Lowe. “They just added an extra five days of festivals, of partying, at the end of the year.” Earlier Egyptians (prior to about 3100 B.C.) and other societies from China to Rome once used lunar calendars to track time. (See National Geographic's moon facts.) But lunar months average 29.5 days and years only about 354. So, societies that kept lunar time quickly drifted well out of sync with the seasons due to the 11-day lag. The Romans regularly tried to tweak this calendar by irregularly adding days or months, but those patchy efforts only highlighted the need for reform. "Year of Confusion" By the time Julius Caesar enjoyed his famed affair with Cleopatra, Rome's calendar had diverged from the seasons by some three months. But Egypt was observing a 365-day year, and as early as the third-century B.C. had even established the utility of a leap-year Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

system to correct the calendar every four years. Julius adopted the system by decreeing a single, 445-day-long Year of Confusion (46 B.C.) to correct the long years of drift in one go. He then mandated a 365.25 day-year that simply added a leap day every fourth year. But even this system was flawed, because the 0.25 day leap year adds annually is a bit longer than the solar year's leftover 0.242 day. That made the calendar year some 11 minutes shorter than its solar counterpart, so the two diverged by an entire day every 128 years. “As it turns out, if you stick in one every four years, that's a few too many,” says James Evans, a physicist at the University of Puget Sound and an editor of the Journal or the History of Astronomy. Between the time Julius Caesar introduced the system in 46 B.C. and the 16th century B.C., this small discrepancy had caused important dates, including the Christian holidays, to drift by some ten days. Pope Gregory XIII found the situation untenable, so his Gregorian calendar was unveiled in 1582—after another drastic adoption of timewarp tactics. “Gregory reformed the calendar and they dropped ten days from the month of October that year,” Evans says. “Then they changed the leap day rules to correct the problem.” Now leap years divisible by 100, like the year 1900, are skipped unless they're also divisible by 400, like the year 2000, in which case they're observed. Nobody alive remembers the last lost leap day, but dropping those three leap days every 400 years keeps the calendar on time. Alternative Calendars Even today, some calendars discount the leap year meant to keep us in time with our orbit, or ignore the sun altogether. The Islamic calendar is a lunar system that adds up to only 354 days and shifts some 11 days from the Gregorian calendar each year— though a single leap day is sometimes added.

And while China uses the Gregorian calendar for official purposes, a traditional lunar-solar calendar is still popular in everyday life. It follows the phases of the moon and implements an entire leap month about once every three years. “There's nothing sacrosanct about locking a calendar to the solar year the way ours is,” says Evans. “People can get used to any calendar system. But once they are used to it what really seems to rile them up is when something is changed.” Future Decisions The current Gregorian calendar system makes the fractional days of the solar year and leap year calendar nearly equal by occasionally skipping a leap day. This system produces an average year length of 365.2425 days, just half a minute longer than the solar year. At such a rate it will take 3,300 years before the Gregorian calendar moves even a day from our seasonal cycle. That means future generations will have a decision to make on leap year, though not for a long time. “So, 3,000 years from now, people may decide to tweak it," Lowe says. "We'll just have to wait and see.” Leap years and leap seconds keep our clocks and calendars in sync with the positions of the Earth, Moon and Sun. For around five million 'leapers' February 29 is a special day, their birthday. It only happens once every four years and signifies an important reorganization of time.

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

The 2020 LEAP YEAR Calendar contains many three day holiday opportunities. Start planning now to make this a memorable year of rest and relaxation. Plumas, Sierra Counties and surrounding areas are a perfect destination.

2020

January

February

March

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

9 10 11

4 2

9 10 11 12 13 14

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

26 27 28 29 30 31

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

29 30 31

April

May

June

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6

9 10 11

9 10 11 12 13

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

26 27 28 29 30

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

28 29 30

July

August

September

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5

9 10 11

9 10 11 12

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

26 27 28 29 30 31

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

27 28 29 30

30 31

October

November

December

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5

9 10

9 10 11 12 13 14

9 10 11 12

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

29 30

27 28 29 30 31

USA Holidays and Observances Jan 01 Feb 17 May 10 Jul 03

New Year's Day Presidents' Day Mother's Day Independence Day Holiday

Jan 20 Apr 10 May 25 Jul 04

M L King Day Good Friday Memorial Day Independence Day

Feb 14 Apr 12 Jun 21 Sep 07

Valentine's Day Easter Sunday Father's Day Labor Day

Oct 12 Nov 26

Columbus Day Thanksgiving Day

Oct 31 Dec 25

Halloween Christmas

Nov 11

Veterans Day

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

Tips for Getting Better Gas Mileage Travel farther on a gallon by easily improving efficiency It seems like only yesterday you filled your car’s gas tank up, and already you’re back at the pump filling it up again. Where did all that gasoline go? Your car is burning through gas much faster than it needs to be, and you probably don’t realize it. To reduce your vehicle’s fuel consumption and travel more on a single tank, follow some of these expert tips. Coast more often Constant acceleration and braking burn through gasoline quickly, so Kira Botkin of Money Crashers recommends coasting and gliding when possible. Instead of applying your brakes hard to slow momentum at an intersection, take your foot off the gas and let the car gradually slow to a crawl — and then apply the brakes. You can also let your car glide down hills, when exiting a highway and when you’re nearing a righthand turn. This lets the car utilize its natural momentum to propel it, rather than force the engine and brakes to work extra. Similarly, when you’re on a long stretch of flat road — like a highway or the countryside — activate the cruise control. That way, you’re not tempted to accelerate and decelerate more than necessary. Smooth accelerating and braking and a consistent speed can also put less wear on the tires, brakes and powertrain. Manage the weight If your car is carrying extra items that increase its total weight, the engine will need more power (and therefore more gas) to get the vehicle up to speed. Thus, Botkin advises reducing any unnecessary weight — especially if you pilot a front-wheel drive car and carry a lot of junk in the trunk. Carrying items on the car’s roof isn’t necessarily better for fuel economy, though. Consumer Reports found that carrying items like bicycles on the roof can reduce fuel economy by as much as one-third, due to extra weight and wind resistance. Remove any car racks or storage boxes when they’re not being used. Inflate the tires It’s true that under-inflated tires negatively impact your car’s fuel efficiency. Dan Collins of Car Bibles explains that flat, flabby tires suffer from increased rolling resistance against the ground. To avoid this, make sure the tires are inflated to their recommended level by inspecting them frequently. A basic non-digital tire gauge only costs a couple bucks and is an effective way to evaluate tire inflation. Collins also recommends researching the types of tires and tread patterns to find the set that offer the best balance of function and efficiency. Different kinds (such as winter vs. all-season) and designs have different rolling resistances, so don’t ride on tires that give more grip than necessary. Refill with the right fuel at the right time The gasoline you inject into your car’s reservoir has as much influence on the mileage you get out of it as your driving habits and vehicle condition do. Collins warns to not stray from the octane rating prescribed by the manufacturer in the model’s manual. Otherwise, you could be paying more money for a type of gasoline that’s less effective. Collins also shares a secret for getting the most gas at the pump: Fill up in the morning, not in the evening. He explains that because the liquid is cooler from lower ground temperatures overnight, it’s denser, so you’ll get more gas pumping at the crack of dawn than you would filling when the molecules have warmed and expanded. There are dozens of other factors that could negatively impact your car’s fuel economy, so research the best driving practices and maintenance techniques to get the most out of every gallon.

Dickson Portola Team

289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

THIS DAY IN HISTORY FEBRUARY 02, 1887

First Groundhog Day On this day in 1887, Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent meteorologist, is celebrated for the first time at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, it gets scared and runs back into its burrow, predicting six more weeks of winter weather; no shadow means an early spring. Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. Germans expanded on this concept by selecting an animal–the hedgehog–as a means of predicting weather. Once they came to America, German settlers in Pennsylvania continued the tradition, although they switched from hedgehogs to groundhogs, which were plentiful in the Keystone State.

In 1887, a newspaper editor belonging to a group of groundhog hunters from Punxsutawney called the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club declared that Phil, the Punxsutawney groundhog, was America’s only true weather-forecasting groundhog. The line of groundhogs that have since been known as Phil might be America’s most famous groundhogs, but other towns across North America now have their own weatherpredicting rodents, from Birmingham Bill to Staten Island Chuck to Shubenacadie Sam in Canada.

Groundhogs, also called woodchucks and whose scientific name is Marmota monax, typically weigh 12 to 15 pounds and live six to eight years. They eat vegetables and fruits, whistle when they’re frightened or looking for a mate (they’re sometimes called whistle pigs) and can climb trees and swim.

PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL

They go into hibernation in the late fall; during this time, their body temperatures drop significantly, their heartbeats slow from 80 to five beats per minute and they can lose 30 percent of their body fat. In February, male groundhogs emerge from their burrows to look for a mate (not to predict the weather) before going underground again. They come out of hibernation for good in March.

In 1993, the movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray popularized the usage of “groundhog day” to mean something that is repeated over and over. Today, tens of thousands of people converge on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney each February 2 to witness Phil’s prediction. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club hosts a three-day celebration featuring entertainment and activities. UPDATED: JUL 28, 2019

Dickson Portola Team

289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

FEBRUARY 2020 SUN

MON

TUES

WED

THUR

FRI

SAT

John Pato Ice Fishing Tournament

Groundhog Day 09

Valentine’s Day 16

Historic Long Board Races

President’s Day 23

George Washington: "99% of failures come from people who make excuses." Thomas Jefferson: "Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching." Abraham Lincoln: "Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today." Theodore Roosevelt: "It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700

Date and Event February 1

Where Held Lake Davis

10th Annual John Pato, Sr. Ice Fishing Tournament

Time Check In 7:00 am 9:00 am Fishing starts 8:00 am

Contact Info. John (530) 832-9659

Details All proceeds from this event go to American Cancer Society non-profit organization. Be sure to bring a valid California Fishing License to enter the tournament, or you can purchase a license at the Grizzly Store on the day of the event. The entry fee is only $20.00 per person. Registration Forms available online at www.420incfishing.com. For more information about this event call John at 530-832-9659. It should be noted that even if there is no ice, there will be fishing on the shore. This will be the last Pato Family Tournament, so please come to thank and support this wonderful family for hosting this successful fund raiser for 10 years!

February 17 HISTORIC LONGBOARD REVIVAL SERIES 2nd event of 3

Plumas Eureka State Park in Johnsville, CA

All day event Racing starts Noon

For more information on the longboard races visit: www.plumasskiclub.org/ long.html

The Historic Longboard Revival Series returns on Sunday, February 17, 2019. This gala event recreates the racing atmosphere back in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;good old daysâ&#x20AC;? right down to the period clothing and authentic skis. Racing starts at noon. The race is truly something to experience, and promises to be a fun family event held at the ski area at Plumas Eureka State Park located in Johnsville. Food will be available to purchase, or bring your own picnic lunch. Racer and spectator prizes will be awarded. The event will even feature live mountain music.

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700