As far as strange customs are concerned, it doesn’t get much stranger than Groundhog Day. Most of us are familiar with the superstition: if a groundhog appears from his burrow on the day of February 2nd, and that day happens to be cloudy, spring will come early; if it’s sunny, the groundhog will see his shadow, book it back to his burrow and winter weather will continue for six more weeks.
Personally, the most this holiday ever did for me was inspire a Bill Murray and Harold Ramis classic that goes by the same name of the celebration. But some people are sincerely passionate about the day of February 2nd, specifically the people of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
There, on February 2nd, you’ll find music, food, drinks, good cheer, and no short supply of top hats. You’ll also find the most popular groundhog in the world: Punxsutawney Phil – Weather Prophet of Pennsylvania.
Phil and his legend is safeguarded and perpetuated by The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. A club that was started in 1880. You can call them the illuminati of weather lore, you can call them retired men with a zany sense of humor, or you can call them plain and simple traditionalists with too much time on their hands. At any rate, they take the holiday and its central hero, Phil, very seriously. According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s official website “In the late summer the Club makes a Trek to Phil’s Stump at Gobbler’s Knob about 4 PM and Phil drinks several sips of Groundhog Punch a secret recipe of the club that aids Phil’s longevity.”
That’s right, Phil’s been doing this for a while. 123 years to be exact. Thanks to the life-perpetuating elixir of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club members, we can look forward to many more years of Phil’s forecasts.
For more information on Phil and the dedicated members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club check out their official website. Believe me, good stuff is to be found there.