Happy Groundhog Day!!
Today is Groundhog Day. Today is the day that Punxsutawney Phil shows his face. The question is will he run back into his hole or not…. Folklore states that if a groundhog (Marmota Monax) comes out from its hole on Groundhog Day and doesn’t see it’s shadow it will leave it’s hole and this signifies that winter will end soon. If he DOES see his shadow the groundhog will supposedly retreat back into it’s hole signifying that winter will continue for another 6 weeks. This hasn’t ever made sense to me. You’d think that if the sun was out it would be warmer, but seeing that shadow is what will make winter longer…. It’s always confused me….
The most popular Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, PA which is located in Western Pennsylvania about 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. This holiday is celebrated in the United States and Canada.
Punxsutawney, PA
In Punxsutawney they take Groundhog Day seriously.
Punxsutawney Phil their resident groundhog has his own website
as well as his own tour bus:
Phil's Ride
Punxsutawney Phil has his hole at Gobbler’s Knob where it’s predicted to be
8 degrees F with winds NE at 1 mph today.
Phil is rumored to be the most photographed Pennsylvanian.
I’ve even taken a picture of the Weather Predictor Extraordinaire:
Phil at the Pittsburgh St. Patrick's Day Parade 2008
There is an Official Punxsutawney Groundhog Club
which coordinates the festivities.
They even have a little Mr. & Miss Groundhog Crowning
on page 4 of their events page.
It is today at 11AM if anyone’s in the area.
If you have kids, there are some neat activities on their page as well.
They also talk about the movie Groundhog Day.
Have any of you ever attended a Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney or elsewhere?
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