February 2, 2012 - Phil will leave his burrow at 7:20 February 2nd at Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania he will observe the weather conditions and look for his shadow he will then make his prediction for the remainder of winter.
Each year on Feb. 2, thousands of revelers travel to Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., (northcentral part of the state approximately 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, Pa.) to witness the prediction of Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog with the mythical ability of forecasting either an early spring or lengthier winter. With the help of his keepers and protectors, the tuxedo-clad members of the mysterious Inner Circle, Phil shares that prediction with the world from the region known as the Pennsylvania Wilds.
- If Phil sees his shadow, he predicts six more weeks of winter and returns to his burrow. If he does not see his shadow, spring is just around the corner.
- The first legendary trek to Gobbler’s Knob occurred in 1887. This year, Phil celebrates 126 years of prognosticating.
- Crowds numbering as high as 30,000 have visited Gobbler’s Knob for a multi-day festival celebrating the town’s most famous resident – Punxsutawney Phil.
BACKGROUND
European Roots
- The custom dates back to the early days of Christianity in Europe and grew out of a winter festival called Candlemas Day, a day for clergy to bless and distribute candles. According to legend, clear skies on Candlemas Day meant an extended winter.
- The Roman legions, during the conquest of the northern country, brought this tradition to the Germans, who concluded that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day, a hedgehog would cast a shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of bad weather or “Second Winter.”
- In Germany, the hedgehog became part of the legend. The German twist was that on a clear, sunny day, the hedgehog would cast a shadow.
How the legend continued in Pennsylvania
- Some of Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers were German, and they noted a large population of groundhogs. Because of its resemblance to the European hedgehog, the groundhog carried on the tradition.
- In 1887, a group of groundhog hunters from Punxsutawney dubbed themselves "The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club."
- The editor of Punxsutawney's newspaper was a member of the Club and he used his editorial clout to proclaim that Phil, the Punxsutawney groundhog, was the one and only official weather prognosticating groundhog.
- Phil's fame began to spread, and newspapers from around the globe began to report Punxsutawney Phil's predictions.
FUN FACTS
- During Prohibition, Phil threatened to impose 60 weeks of winter if he didn’t get a drink.
- In 1981, Phil wore a yellow ribbon in honor of American hostages in Iran.
- In 1986, he visited President Reagan in Washington, D.C.
- In 1993, Columbia Pictures released the movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray.
- In 1995, Phil was on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
- In 2001, Phil enjoyed a tour of New York City including appearances on Regis Philbin Live, the CBS Early Show, and CNN. His prediction was broadcast live on the Times Square jumbotron.
- In 2003, Governor Edward G. Rendell was the first Pennsylvania governor to participate in the Annual Trek to Gobbler's Knob with the Inner Circle.
- Phil is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan; he sported a Terrible Towel in 2009 to celebrate the team’s sixth Super Bowl victory.
- Phil is also a social media user. His prediction was available via text in 2010 and in 2011, nearly 28,000 worldwide earned the "PA Groundhog Day" Badge on Feb. 2, 2011.
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