Punxsutawney Phil, a celebrity groundhog, makes his annual weather prediction on Groundhog Day, February 2nd, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Explore the history, traditions, and impact of this unique event, where thousands gather to witness Phil's forecast.
Punxsutawney Phil, a celebrity groundhog, delivers his annual weather prediction on February 2nd to thousands of people in person and millions more online. The event takes place at Gobbler's Knob, an open hillside in the woods about 2 miles from the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. In a tradition dating back to the 1880s, if Phil sees his shadow, it's a sign winter will last six more weeks. If he doesn't, an early spring is on the way.
The Groundhog Club Inner Circle, a group of 15 men who live in Punxsutawney, has been around almost as long as the tradition. They wear top hats and tuxedos and use nicknames like 'Moonshine' and 'Frostbite.' They also have a secret handbook. The group's president is Tom Dunkel, whose father also spent decades in the Inner Circle. For him, Groundhog Day and Phil were never far away. Dunkel uses the same cane his father once held to rouse Phil from his burrow. The famous groundhog's handler is A.J. 'Rainmaker' Dereume. Like Dunkel, his father was also in the Inner Circle. 'You've got to have the gene, we say — you've got to have the groundhog gene,' Dereume says. 'We were both born with it.' Punxsutawney Phil, seen here in 2001, has been making weather predictions on Gobbler's Knob since the late 1880s. When Phil sits on a stump to predict the weather, you're seeing the original animal, not a replacement, according to Inner Circle lore. 'Always remember that first and foremost, it's Groundhog Day — not Groundhogs Day — for a reason,' Dereume says. 'There's only one. And there's only ever been one,' Dunkel agrees. 'There's only ever been one Punxsutawney Phil. Our Phil is like, probably 139 years old.' Many Groundhog Day visitors also do their share of sipping. There's an official Groundhog Ball, a banquet and reception, and restaurants stay open late on Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney's Groundhog Day was steadily gaining popularity before the eponymous film came out in 1993, Dereume says. In the movie, Bill Murray, playing TV weatherman Phil to Andie MacDowell's producer Rita, took audiences through a Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney that was stuck on repeat. The event exploded, he says, from crowds of 3,000 to 5,000 people to 30,000 to 40,000 — a massive influx for Punxsutawney, where the organizers adapted to huge crowds and noticed something odd at Gobbler's Knob: Visitors kept coming to see the small stage in a field, no matter the date. 'We thought, 'Well, geez, people are coming year 'round,' Dunkel, the Inner Circle's president, says, prompting the group to add amenities like a welcome center that is open all year. Phil's met two presidents,' Dunkel says. 'He went to the White House to meet Ronald Reagan, and he's met Jimmy Carter.' We'll do probably six or seven parades a year,' Dunkel says. 'We have what's called a Phil-mobile' — a bus that plays groundhog-centered music, with a platform perch for Phil. On Groundhog Day in 2020, Neil Adamski, 11, Suzanne Stephenson, Holly Adamski, 13, and Mark Adamski, from Syracuse, N.Y., came to Punxsutawney, Pa., after months of preparation to join in the popular tradition of Punxsutawney Phil predicting an early or late spring. Many visitors come to Punxsutawney's Groundhog Day for fun, or because it's on their bucket list. But some come for more personal reasons. He notes that the story depicts a jaded man who struggles to break free from a rut of bad habits and impulses. 'We get a lot of people that come to Groundhog Day for a fresh start and to start over' because of what they got out of the movie, Dunkel says. 'And their stories are pretty cool to listen to.' Visitors find an event with modest costs. It's free to attend the big gathering at Gobbler's Knob, although many spectators opt to pay $5 for a bus ride rather than deal with parking. Hotels in the area sell out; people who need rest can pay $10 to nap in a community center. In the 1950s, the Groundhog Club decided their honor and respect for Phil required them to wear top hats and tuxedos, says Dereume, the prognosticating rodent's handler. If you were to meet the king or queen of England, he adds, 'you would certainly do the same thing.
GROUNDHOG DAY PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL WEATHER PREDICTION TRADITIONS PENNSYLVANIA
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