SNOHOMISH — It will be foggy, smoggy and cloggy until Highway 9 is fixed.
A bullfrog named Snohomish Slew croaked these words in front of a crowd of people at Ferguson Park Saturday morning during his frognostication.
Groundfrog Day is an annual event that has become a Snohomish tradition in its four years.
About 500 people came to witness the frognostication, said Daryl Bertholet, an event organizer.
Slew arrived in a gravel truck, and Girl Scouts solemnly escorted him to the picnic table under the gazebo. A frog whisperer then interpreted his croaks.
To families at Ferguson Park, the day was not all about Slew the frog.
Mary Jarrell, 59, drove up from Auburn with her family but missed the frognostication. “Now we don’t know what the weather’s going to be,” she said.
A fun day with family at the park was completely worth the trip, said Jarrell, looking at her cheerful granddaughters.
“We are finally able to do something outdoors … and kids love to get together.”
The girls got to see real fire trucks and a double-decker bus, play with fun giveaways and listen to Tim Noah from the Thumbnail Theater.
They also got to dance with “the frog lady,” Thayer Cueter.
Cueter, a veterinary technician, leads environmental classes in schools and hosts events that raise awareness of amphibian decline.
Thanks to her, this year’s frognostication focused on education as well as fun. “Now it’s awareness and environment, and not just Groundfrog Day,” she said. “It’s about going green.”
After their 15 minutes of fame are up, the frogs go to live with Cueter for a while or get adopted by schools, Bertholet said. When the weather warms up, the great frognosticators are released in local ponds.
Bullfrogs are really hard to find in winter because they go into hibernation, Bertholet said. That’s the reason a new Slew has been shipped from the East Coast every year.
“Our ultimate goal is to have a yearlong Slew in a permanent home,” Bertholet said.
Tanya Idler, 25, who works at a hair salon next to Ferguson Park, said she was too busy to go see Slew on Saturday. “It’s unique. I haven’t heard about anything like this before,” she said.
Idler said next year she will make time for the great frognosticator. “It’s fun to do something different other than the Groundhog Day.”
Reporter Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452 or kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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