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David Rodeback's Blog

Friday, February 2, 2007

Groundhog Day Limerick Contest Winners

Read the winning limericks here.

Thanks to all who entered the 2007 LocalCommentary.com Groundhog Day Limerick Contest. Entries came from as far away as Tennessee and from poets both known and unknown. Most participants submitted one limerick, but some as many as three.

Here are the winners and their winning limericks. Beside glory and universal fame for being witty and urbane, each category winner gets a small prize. Honorable mention gets all of that except the small prize. (See the Limerick Contest announcement for more details, including judging criteria. Note also that the winning limericks may be very slightly edited for punctuation.)

Before we proceed, a note about etiquette. Should you happen to see one of these triumphant fellows while he is reigning champion, the proper form of personal address is to bow slightly and say, either loudly or with hushed reverence, "All hail, mighty bard!"

Winner: Groundhog Day

The Groundhog prediction, I'm told,
Can be guessed without being too bold.
His shadow he'll spot
More often than not,
Which means six more weeks of the cold.

Alan Braithwaite
Highland, Utah

Winner: American Fork

If the valley could tweak and then torque,
And the great Utah Lake could uncork,
And the cities between
Could never be seen,
We'd have Spanish/American Fork.

Sam Beeson
American Fork, Utah

(Editor's Note: Mr. Beeson's day job is teaching English at American Fork High School. His resume includes multiple limerick contest victories, both local and national.)

Honorable Mention

Naive youth, full of vigor and zest,
For to travel the world packed his chest.
Though he dwelled far and wide,
Old and wise did decide
That American Fork was the best!

Robert van Dijk
American Fork, Utah 84003

Other Notes

You may read other's entries here.

We are not accepting entries yet for the 2008 Groundhog Day Limerick Contest. Stay tuned.

MFCC put some thoughts in a pair of limerick stanzas in her blog, but did not submit them to the contest.

Several entries which arrived after the official deadline but before judging was complete were accepted for publication here but not considered for the prizes.

Thanks to Barbara Christiansen for publicity in the American Fork Citizen. Next year, perhaps she'll send a limerick or two?

Happy Groundhog Day!

Copyright 2007 by David Rodeback.
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