Once a year, on Feb. 2, a group of men in top hats and tuxes knocks on a door located in a tree stump. A groundhog answers, looks around, converses briefly in Groundhogese with the men and goes back inside the stump. The men then translate to the gathered crowd what the groundhog has to say about the rest of winter based on whether or not he saw his shadow. A shadow means six more weeks of winter. No shadow means an early spring.

That, in a nutshell, is Groundhog Day at Gobbler's Knob in Punxatawney, Pa.

And Punxatawney Phil is the king of late winter weather forecasting.

Or is he?

Since 1887, Phil has seen his shadow 95 times out of 118 recorded appearances, which would have meant extended winters in those 95 cases.

But various "studies" over the years have found Phil was right only about 39 percent of the time when he predicted extended winters - not a good track record. A person might do as well simply flipping a coin.

But then, most people aren't celebrating Groundhog Day for Phil's meteorological acumen. Groundhog Day is, essentially, a reason to throw a winter party.

With Groundhog Day less than a week away, here are some Web sites that will help you prepare for the annual event and gain a little understanding about Phil's predictive abilities:

3 Punxsutawney Groundhog Club

www.groundhog.org

The official Web site for Punxsutawney Phil fans. For $10 a year, you can become a card carrying member of the club. Heck, you can even start your own local chapter of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club (there are startup fees, however). Lots of interesting information, photos and video. Well worth a visit.

3 Stormfax: Groundhog Day

www.stormfax.com/ghogday.htm

A solid historical overview of Groundhog Day, the community of Punxatawney and the legends and lore associated with the groundhog.

3 Groundhog Day: Movie Analysis

www.transparencynow.com/groundhog.htm

If you enjoy reading and discussing the subtext, symbolism, moral and meaning in movies, this site is for you. Read an interesting take on the various meanings in the movie, "Groundhog Day." Starring Bill Murray and Andie McDowell, this 1993 film helped rekindle public awareness of and interest in Groundhog Day. The movie has been added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry, meaning it is "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant and should be preserved for all time.

3 Groundhog Quiz

www.wildlifeprairiestatepark.org/Educationpages/Groundhog'sDayQuiz/groundhog's_day_quiz.htm

Take a 21-question multiple choice quiz and see how much you know about the groundhog.

N.D. Sites of Note

3 Child Support Enforcement

www.childsupportnd.com

From the North Dakota Department of Human Services, a revised child support enforcement Web site. Among other things, the site design has been changed to make it easier to find useful information within a few clicks.

A "Frequently Asked Questions" section provides quick answers to the most common questions about child support for parents and employers. Other FAQs focus on general items and services.

The site also features a secure encrypted environment, meaning parents can apply for services or review their accounts online and employers can electronically file reports and submit payments.

3 Innovate North Dakota

www.innovatend.com

Aimed at drawing innovative ideas from North Dakotans, this Web site is home to the First Annual Governor's Innovation Forum, or "Innovate ND." The competition, according to information posted at the site, is designed to "engage emerging entrepreneurs in a six-month venture building process that includes online entrepreneur education, business planning tools, entrepreneur coaching-mentoring and feedback from investors serving as judges."

Participants are presently submitting executive summaries for business ideas that will be evaluated this month by a panel of private investors. The top ideas will be winnowed down to the top 20 and, by May, to the top three winners in three categories. Prizes include cash awards, in-kind services and access to lines of equity from the Bank of North Dakota Venture fund.

However, you don't have to be entered in the competition to benefit from site features such as downloadable video and audio podcasts at the "Idea Studio" section, focusing on entrepreneurship and other topics of interest.

By the way, if you want to enter the competition, you'd better hurry - registration ends Jan. 31.

3 Liberty Memorial Bridge Web cam

www.memorialbridge.info

I wrote about this site in August, but, recently, I've received a number of e-mails and phone calls asking for this information once more. This is the home page for project information on the new Liberty Memorial Bridge construction project. Learn about the history of the bridge, get current news, view the new bridge design and more.

But what most people are interested in is the bridge Web cam - to access that, go to www.nddot.ox blue.com/blmb/. The image is large, clear and current. You can zoom in on image details, view images taken throughout the day or browse through an image archive for the past few months.

The Memorial Bridge construction Web site is a great example of using the Internet to keep people informed on a public project.

(Keith Darnay is the webmaster and designer for bismarcktribune.com. His Web site, featuring this column going back to 1995, is at www.darnay.com.iec.)