Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil

The hour is early but the atmosphere is festive. Tens of thousands of travelers have converged for the annual appearance by the event’s celebrity. (The celebrity, meanwhile, is shaking himself out of hibernation.) It’s another Groundhog Day in Reading, Pennsylvania and the Master of Ceremonies is none other than Punxsutawney Phil. Interpreters are on hand to translate his Groundhogese into English so that the crowd may know how much more coat weather to expect.

Though made famous by the Bill Murray movie “Groundhog Day”, Punxsutawney Phil (the only groundhog known to have nine lives) has actually been predicting the weather since the 1800s, beginning with Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers and in 1887, choosing Gobbler’s Knob as Phil’s permanent home and official weather station. (Unfortunately during that time, the predictions for an early spring have been few, but Phil can’t be blamed; he’s just the messenger.)

Phil has enjoyed worldwide prestige for accurately predicting the weather each year and it’s deserved; most groundhogs refuse to talk to humans, but Phil has a large duty on his tiny groundhog shoulders. He has appeared on Oprah, personally met with Ronald Reagan (although there is no official record as to what the two discussed), and appeared on New York City’s Jumbotron.

This year the downtown Punxsutawney festivities commence on Saturday, January 31st and feature great entertainment for the little groundhog watchers, with a balloon artist, face painter, magician, vaudevillian, storyteller, musicians and much more, as well as lunch with Phil’s Inner Circle. And of course it all culminates at sunrise on February 2nd with Phil’s pronouncement and the after party! The Official website of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club is a great place to start if you are interested in this yearly celebration.