February 2
Results Vary
Phil's owners claim that he's predicted spring accurately 100 percent of the time. Playing devil's advocate, spring is going to come eventually. "Cold" and "wintry" are relative terms. How could any prediction be incorrect?
Meteorologists might have something else to say, though.
Tourist Attraction
Phil has always attracted attention, but after "Groundhog Day," starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, came out in 1993, the number of tourists flocking to the ceremony has increased dramatically. Some 30,000 people now gather each year just to watch Phil watch the world for a short second or two.
Full Name
Pennsylvania's groundhog goes by Phil, but his full name is Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary. So, you know, "Phil" is really much easier.
Phil's Life
Phil's life is one of leisure and human support. He eats dog food and ice cream, apparently, and is well taken care of by his human handlers. He lives in a climate-controlled home at the Punxsutawney Library. Nice work, if you can get it.
Gobbler's Knob
When Groundhog Day approaches, Phil is taken up to Gobbler's Knob, the hill on which Groundhog Day festivities are centered. He's put into a heated burrow underneath a simulated tree stump that is up on a stage. At 7:25 a.m., he is pulled out and observed for his behaviors regarding shadows, present or not.
German Tradition
Groundhog Day, which has been around since the 1700s, was brought to Pennsylvania and other states by German immigrants. But the way it's celebrated now, with news and text alerts, Hollywood movies and merchandise, it's now a full-blown American thing.
