Punxatawney Phil Predicts Early Spring!
“A thousand people, freezing their butts off, waiting to worship a RAT.” – Phil Connors
Punxatawney Phil was good to us this year and did NOT see his shadow this morning. Early SPRING!
He emerged from his little burrow in Punxatawney Pennsylvania, up at Gobbler’s Knob, and spoke Groundhoguese to the head of the Inner Circle (the guys in top hats in charge of interpreting and caring for Phil).
We’re so lucky to live just a few hours drive from where it all happens! I spent Groundhog Day with my siblings in Punxatawney a few years ago, and it was one of the most fun and memorable trips I’ve ever had. I highly suggest it to anyone, especially families. There are lots of fun activities for kids. I can’t wait to go back. Plan your trip HERE.
Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter 103 times and early spring only 19. We beat the odds this year!
Phil’s full name is: Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and weather prophet extraordinary.
He’s 133 years old. (The lifespan of a groundhog in the wild is roughly 6 years, so he’s doing really well.) Members of the Inner Circle say that Phil takes a potion every summer that extends his lifeline by seven years. Unfortunately the elixir does not work on humans. According to Phil’s caretakers in the Inner Circle, “We’ve tried and it just makes them fat and bald. If you saw some of our inner circle members, you can tell the ones that tried.”
Aside from Groundhog Day, Phil lives with his wife Phyllis in the town library in Punxatawney. Visitors can stop by to see Phil year round!
The movie Groundhog Day is the BEST, but Phil’s not actually in it. He’s very busy. They used an actor groundhog named Scooter and a few groundhog understudies. The bulk of the film was actually filmed in Woodstock, Illinois.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVt3fjIF3AI
If you REALLY love Groundhog Day, you can join the Groundhog Club, and buy some cool Groundhog Merch too! Here’s Phil’s official promotional video:
Here are some photos from our trip to Punxatawney to visit Phil.
