Punxsutawney Phil

Punxsutawney Phil, the "seer of seers and prognosticator of prognosticators," [ [http://www.groundhog.org/prediction/ Punxsutawney Phil's 2008 Prediction] on Groundhog.org] is a groundhog resident of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, USA. On February 2, (Groundhog Day) of each year, the town of Punxsutawney celebrates the beloved groundhog with a festive atmosphere of music and food. During the ceremony, which begins well before the winter sunrise, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler's Knob, located in a rural area about convert|2|mi|abbr=on east of town. According to the tradition, if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, the United States will have six more weeks of winter. If Phil does not see his shadow, spring will arrive early. The date of Phil's prognostication is known as Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada. During the rest of the year, Phil lives in the town library with his "wife" Phyllis.

A club of Phil enthusiasts, known as the Punxsutawney "Save the Bearded Owls" Club, take care of the famed rodent year-round. A select group, called the "Inner Circle", also plan the annual ceremony. Members of the "Inner Circle" are recognizable by their top hats and tuxedos. Phil currently has two co-handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths.

Punxsutawney Phil lore

Punxsutawney Phil fans say that there is only one Phil (all the other groundhog weathermen are impostors), and that he has made weather prognostications for 122 years as of 2008. They say that every summer, Inner Circle members feed Phil a sip of the mysterious Groundhog Punch, which he must drink to maintain his immortality. (In natural circumstances, a groundhog could never live more than 10 years or so.) According to the Groundhog Club, Phil, after making the prediction, speaks to the Club President in "Groundhogese", intelligible only to the Inner Circle; this prediction is then translated for the entire world.

In media

* Phil and the town of Punxsutawney were portrayed in the movie "Groundhog Day", although the scenes were actually filmed in Woodstock, Illinois. [cite web |title=Trivia for Groundhog Day |work=IMDB |url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0107048/trivia |accessdate=2008-02-04 ]
* Phil was also the main attraction on an episode of the MTV series "Viva La Bam". The episode was titled "Groundhog Day" and it aired on April 10, 2005. In the episode, street skater Bam Margera held a special race in honor of Punxsutawney Phil. Since then, Bam Margera has been randomly seen throughout the crowd on a Public Access Station from Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, USA called PCN (The Pennsylvania Cable Network) every Groundhog's Day, alongside the traditional notice of Punxsutawney Phil.
* In 2007 Rick McFerron, a resident of nearby Indiana, Pennsylvania with a Groundhog Day birthday walked convert|30|mi|abbr=on both ways from Indiana to Punxsutawney for his 60th birthday. He raised money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. [cite news |title=Indiana Man To Walk To Punxsutawney For Good Cause |work=WPXI |date=2007-01-30 |url=http://www.wpxi.com/news/10881747/detail.html ]
*Ty Inc. has a tradition of sending out a Punxsutawney Phil Beanie Baby annually around Groundhog's Day. The toy is shown consistently wearing a top hat and bow tie in order to appear as a member of the Inner Circle. Three varieties are known to exist. The first being a consumer model with a red bow-tie, which is released nation-wide. A second, with a black bow-tie, is sold in a few stores in Punxsutawney, PA, including their chamber of commerce. Both the Red and Black tie versions benefit the Groundhog Club Inner Circle of Punxsutawney. A third version, with a silver bow-tie, is sold as a fund-raiser for the Clearfield-Jefferson Red Cross.

Past predictions

Of these 112 predictions on record so far, Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an early spring 14 times (13%). As to his accuracy, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle, he is 100% accurate

See also

*General Beauregard Lee
*Staten Island Chuck
*Wiarton Willie

References

External links

* [http://www.groundhog.org Groundhog.org] , the official site of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club
* [http://www.punxsutawneyphil.com PunxsutawneyPhil.com]