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February 4, 2008

Groundhog Day tally: Block Island population takes dip

NEW SHOREHAM -- The annual Groundhog Day tally is in, and as sure a Punxsutawney Phil is promising six more weeks of winter, six fewer people were on Block Island this past Saturday than last year.

Islanders have marked each Groundhog Day for going on five decades by counting every person on the three-by-seven-mile island. This year’s count -- 971 -- is down six from the year before and another 15 from 2006.

Organizers attribute the slight decline to Groundhog Day falling on a weekend, when some workers return to their homes on the mainland.

“If it’s a weekday and they’re here, they get counted,” said Donald Thimble, one of those overseeing the event.

The unofficial census is an annual ritual that takes place over beers and laughter at the Albion Pub, and makes an entertaining diversion during the cold winter months. Dozens of volunteers fan out to count anyone who spends the night on the island, checking to see if any unusual house lights are lit. Calls are placed; and the boats are closely monitored throughout the day to see who's coming and going.

“We make a ton of calls to see who’s here and who’s not,” Thimble said.

The census showed that the population on Old Town Road had risen slightly, while the number of people living on Spring Street and Center Road had declined, he said.

Despite the numbers, the island’s tight-knit year-round community continues to hover at 950, he said.

“Everything is pretty much the same" -- which is a good thing in his book, he says.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 2:45 PM | Permalink

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