The Day of the Groundhog
History of Groundhog’s Day
As you know, this blog is also all about education. So, let’s review the Groundhog Day basics. The February 2nd tradition of Groundhog’s Day originates from the German immigrants of western Pennsylvania. Originally, these Christians marked the religious holiday of “Candlemas” by celebrating “Badger’s Day.” As tradition held, if the badger emerges from his hole and sees his shadow, there will be 6 more weeks of winter. The reasoning is that sunny days are typically colder, and also cast more shadows. Conversely, cloudy skies are usually warmer days and cast less shadow. Thus, spring is coming. Probably due to the lack of badgers in western Pennsylvania, these Pennsylvania immigrants eventually converted to the groundhog to handle this holiday prognostication.
Along came Phil
On February 2, 1840, there was the first recorded mention of Groundhog’s Day. However, the first real journalistic mention of the holiday was in 1886 in the Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper. By 1887, Groundhog’s Day was an official celebration primarily occurring in Punxsutawney, PA. Furthermore, it was not until 1961 that the good old boys of Punxsutawney named their groundhog, Phil. Since then, Punxsutawney Phil has handled all the weather prognostication and dominates the holiday of Groundhogs Day.
All in all, Punxsutawney Phil has a good life. Most of the year, he resides in a very nice, indoor habitat, at the Punxsutawney library called Phil’s Burrow. But, here is the best part. Phil has a lady friend. Phil shares his habitat with Phyllis. So, companionship and conjugal visits are not in short supply.
The Town of Punxsutawney
Punxsutawney is an isolated little town in western Pennsylvania with a population around 5,000. My friend and I visited Punxsutawney in late December. I think it is safe to say that we were the first people to ever visit Punxsutawney in late December. While all the action in town centers on February 2, there are plenty of 24/7 reminders that Punxsutawney is all about the groundhog.
The Action is at Gobbler’s Knob
The logistics of visiting Punxsutawney on Groundhogs Day are not easy. First, there are no hotels to speak of near Punxsutawney. Second, the celebration does not even occur in town. The celebration occurs at Gobbler’s Knob which is a big hill, a mile and half out of town. There is no parking at Gobbler’s Knob. Basically, you park in the Walmart parking lot at 4am and they shuttle you to Gobbler’s Knob. According to the locals, the basic plan is to drink all night at the bars. Around 4am, you catch a shuttle out to the ceremony. Try not to freeze to death while watching the ceremony. Then, when its over, you return to town to have breakfast and pass out.
On ceremony day, Gobbler’s Knob divides the crowd into 3 groups. Naturally, there is a VIP section up front (see first picture above). Then, the organizers designate one half of the remaining field as the family section (F). Lastly, the final section of the field is for the drunks (D). To clarify, the event does not OPENLY allow alcohol. So, attendees to section “D” come drunk and use an unmarked coffee thermos for additional liquids.
The Punxsutawney Groundhogs Club (i.e. the old white men in strange hats) run the whole ceremony. They stuff poor Phil in the podium that doubles as Phil’s hole. Then, as the sun arises, they yank out Phil and display him to the crowd. The men and rodent then huddle at the podium. Finally, although not discernable by the naked eye, the leader of the Club tells the crowd whether or not Phil saw his shadow. Historically, according to the records, Phil’s success on predicting the end of winter is only about 40%. Frankly, I think its the old men in the hats that are screwing it up. Somehow, they are not properly interpreting Phil’s desired prediction.
Settling for the Buckeye Chuck Option
Due to large crowds, logistical issues, security concerns and potentially arctic conditions, I really had no desire to visit Punxsutawney on February 2. However, the post needed a true ending. So, I decided upon Buckeye Chuck. Buckeye Chuck is a knock off version of Phil residing in Marion, Ohio. The Punxsutawney Phil celebration is the gold standard. But, the Buckeye Chuck celebration is easy for me to attend. Marion, OH, is only about a 45 minute drive for me. There is convenient parking at the celebration. There was only about one hundred people in attendance. The whole thing took about one hour. I got to pet Chuck and interact with the groundhog handler. All in all, Buckeye Chuck made for a very pleasant morning celebration. I give you…Buckeye Chuck.
And, the decision is…
As you can see in the photos, there was no sun to be seen. Buckeye Chuck did not see his shadow. Therefore, spring is just around the corner. However, the blizzard coming tonight is still good to go. The Marion locals told me Chuck is 75% accurate. By the way, for what it’s worth, Phil disagreed with Chuck and called for 6 more weeks of winter. However, Phil’s accuracy is shamefully around 40%. Bring on the spring. So ends my salute to the Day of the Groundhog. Have a wonderful Groundhogs Day. PT
I hope you have enjoyed reading “The Day of the Groundhog” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.
After seeing Buckeye Chuck, here is a worthy stop in the area https://travelingwithpt.com/waldo-its-all-about-the-bologna/
If you need more on Punxsutawney, here you go https://www.groundhog.org/
