Groundhog Day Info

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day! The 124th trek to Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, for Punxsutawney Phil’s official prognostication begins at 3 a.m. [ET] with live entertainment, fireworks and other activities. Phil’s official prediction will be at daybreak. The men who call themselves the “Inner Circle” say Phil speaks to them in “groundhogese,” and they translate the rodent’s words to the world. Here are some other fun facts from the Official Site of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club:


History of Groundhog Day:

· The first legendary trek to Gobbler’s Knob was in 1887. In early observances, the groundhog’s predictions were conducted in private wooded areas that neighbor the town. Presently, Phil makes his prediction in Gobbler’s Knob in front of tens of thousands of visitors and a global audience. Members of the Inner Circle, a mystical group of keepers sworn to uphold the grand tradition of Groundhog Day, coax Phil from his hole and announce Phil’s prediction. If Phil sees his shadow, he regards it as an omen of six more weeks of winter and returns to his hole; if not, spring is just around the corner.


Phamous Punxsutawney Phil Phacts:

· During Prohibition, Phil threatened to impose 60 weeks of winter if he wasn’t permitted a drink.

· In 1981 Phil wore a yellow ribbon in honor of the American hostages in Iran.

· Phil traveled to Washington, D.C., in 1986 to meet with President Reagan.

· In 1993, Columbia Pictures released the movie “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray. Since then, record crowds numbering as high as 30,000 have visited Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney!

· In 2001, Phil’s prediction was shown live on the JumboTron at Times Square in New York City.

· Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell attended Groundhog Day ceremonies in 2003, making him the first sitting governor ever to do so.

Here are some other interesting FAQs from groundhog.org:

· Punxsutawney Phil’s full name is “Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinaire.” It was so proclaimed by the “Punxsutawney Groundhog Club” in 1887, the same year they declared Punxsutawney to be the weather capital of the world.

· There has only been one Punxsutawney Phil. Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking “groundhog punch,” a secret recipe. Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic and it magically gives him seven more years of life.

· As the story goes, Punxsutawney Phil was named after King Phillip. Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br’er Groundhog.

· Since Phil’s first trek to Gobbler’s Knob in 1887, he has seen his shadow 98 times, no shadow 15 times, and no record 10 times. He saw his shadow last year.

If you can’t be there to celebrate with Phil, there will be live video streamed on www.visitpa.com/GroundHog.
 
(Source: www.groundhog.org)