Minding Your Business: Are you ready for Groundhog Day, Pizza Day and the Farm Expo?

Wednesday marks what may be our country's strangest holiday. Groundhog Day, when the groundhog, ol' Punxsutawney Phil, is pulled from his burrow at Pennsylvania's Gobbler's Knob, where he'll either see his shadow (which, according to legend, means six more weeks of winter), or not (which supposedly means an early spring). The tradition started with Christianity's Candlemas, when, according to history, the clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. Later, German culture took its weather predicting hedgehog tradition and translated it into what we now know as Groundhog Day. The holiday kicked off in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, in 1886.Now, if you'd rather not get your news from a poor groundhog pulled from his nice warm burrow on a cold Pennsylvania morning in February, that's understandable. I might not be able to tell you if we'll have six more weeks of winter or an early spring (my senses are telling me the former), but I can give you a rundown of some bits of business information you might find useful:• Tennessee saw an increase in labor force participation in December. According to newly released data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, unemployment increased in 87 counties during the month. Five counties saw rates go down, while the numbers remained the same in three counties.• From AAA: For the fourth consecutive week, the Tennessee gas price average has increased. Since last Monday, gas prices across Tennessee have risen six cents on average. The Tennessee gas price average is now $3.10, which is 11 cents more expensive than one month ago and 87 cents more than one year ago. "Tensions along the Ukrainian border have helped push crude oil prices higher almost daily," said Stephanie Milani, Tennessee Public Affairs director of AAA. "If oil prices continue to climb toward $90 a barrel, pump prices will likely follow suit." According to AAA, 28% of Tennessee gas stations have prices below $3. The average for the Tri-Cities is currently $3.03.Notes from the fieldYou could fill your calendar with all sorts of random holidays nowadays. You've got National Zipper Day on April 29, National Name Your Car Day on Oct. 2, International Sword Swallowers Day on Feb. 28 and, sadly, we've already missed National Gorilla Suit Day this year, which was held on Monday. Sigh. But, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Feb. 9 is National Pizza and Bagel Day. So in honor of Feb. 9, I want to hear (or read) what restaurant offers your favorite pizza in Kingsport or throughout the Tri-Cities. Doesn't matter if it's dine-in, to go or delivery. We all have our favorites and I (along with other MYB readers) want to know your favorites! You can email your submissions to me at mwaters@timesnews.net or you can post your answer on our Facebook post asking folks to tell us their favorite pizza place in Kingsport and beyond.In unrelated news, the Farm Expo will be held Saturday and Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway's south building. Admission is $5 for adults, children 12 and under are admitted free. This year's event is said to be bigger and better with a petting zoo, a chili cook off, a country market, a hog calling contest, live music, a chainsaw artist and more. But if you're like me, you remember the Farm Expo from well before 2022.As a kid, my family and I would attend the Farm Expo and even once with our goats in tow. (They were part of the petting zoo. We aren't crazy enough to just take them to various large events just for fun.) I remember my parents bought me and my sister each a rabbit. The memory is much sweeter than the rabbit turned out to be.But these days, the Farm Expo has changed a bit. It's now held at the speedway with various vendors and is also designed to feature hardworking farmers who might even offer a little gardening and farming know-how. For more information on the Farm Expo go to https://www.farmexpotn.com/. And who knows, maybe I'll see you there.Have a note you want to send me? Email it to mwaters@timesnews.net and you could see it in a future Minding Your Business column.Try the Kingsport Times News app today. Download here from Google Play and the App Store.