The Darke County Chamber of Commerce will be holding its 3rd annual Ground Hog Day Breakfast in January 2010. Each year, Darke County Dave (our own swine version of Punxsutawney Phil) predicts the economic forecast for the coming year in Darke County.
The concept of the first annual Ground Hog Day Breakfast was hatched by a few Chamber Ambassadors and Board Members at a rainy day ribbon cutting on March 1, 2007. They were gathered at the office of the Darke County Land Title Agency in Gettysburg. Ideas were exchanged about the possibility for an annual economic forecasting event for Darke County. Punxsutawney, PA has Phil, but all he does is predict the weather. The small group felt that the Darke County Chamber should embrace agriculture – the number
one business in Darke County. Ray Donadio dubbed our “ground hog” Darke County Dave, and the rest is history.
In 2009, more than 150 people gathered at the Ground Hog Day Breakfast to learn about Advanced Energy from Jim Zuber, Advanced Energy Manager at the Ohio Department of Development.