Woodstock businesses commemorate Groundhog Day with merch

Woodstock businesses have marked the Groundhog Day celebration this weekend with copious amounts of T-shirts, home decor, mugs and even Woodstock Willie-themed sweet treats.

The warm embrace of the day celebrating the hope of an early spring wasn’t always so warm. Bob Hudgins, who led a walking tour Saturday, told participants that about two dozen businesses had signed on to oppose filming “Groundhog Day” in town.

Ultimately, Woodstock businesses have come to celebrate the 1993 film and festivities.

Just around the corner from the Square and down the street from the Woodstock theater, Jessica Cook, who opened J&G Pastries in November, had a tray full of groundhog-shaped sugar cookies with brown icing at her bakery.

“They want an actual groundhog,” she said of the cookies.

The cookies were popular, with several customers coming in Saturday to buy the edible tributes to the furry prognosticator of seasons.

Cook said she opened the bakery at 6:30 a.m. Friday and had sold out of the cookies by 3 p.m., four hours before the bakery was set to close. She said she made more cookies Saturday.

The sweets caught the attention of Woodstock Willie, who, according to the bakery’s Facebook page, swung by the bakery Saturday afternoon to see what was up with the cookies.

Melissa McMahon, who serves on Woodstock’s Groundhog Days Committee, accompanied our furry friend to the bakery.

She joked there was an “existential crisis” about whether or not Willie consuming groundhog cookies was cannibalistic.

“We decided it was not cannibalism,” McMahon said.

She also was very supportive of businesses.

“We love when our local businesses participate with the Groundhog Day theme,” McMahon said.

Seleta Scents, part of the Woodstock incubator program inside the Old Courthouse, had made air fresheners with Woodstock Willie’s face on them, one being sweet vermouth-scented. Sweet vermouth is the drink used in the “Drink to World Peace,” as seen in the film, and the scent also has its own candle, with the lid featuring the Woodstock Square.

Seleta Scents also had a “I Drank to World Peace” keychain for sale, which owners Julienne Samuels and Mike Richards said resonated with people.

“It was a really good day for us,” Julienne Samuels said of Groundhog Day.

In a mashup of pop culture and Groundhog Day, T-shirts saying “Woodstock Willie: Groundhog Day Tour” with a groundhog photo collage were on display inside The Thoughtfulness Shop, 104 Cass St., located by Ned’s Corner in the film.

The shirts have a similar design as merchandise from Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour.

“It has been fabulous,” Craig Wilcox of The Thoughtfulness Shop said.

He added all the photos of the groundhog were all taken by Woodstock Independent photographers.

“We’ve been excited and busy,” Wilcox said.