[Originally written on February 1, 2011]
Punxsutawney Phil is about to do his annual prognostication (OK, prediction) on how much longer we have to deal with cold, snowy, winter weather. After Clevelanders got socked with a rough morning commute to work in near white-out conditions and many schools canceled classes – spring can't come soon enough!
In 2003, I had the opportunity to see the crazy antics of Punxsutawnians during their week long, Groundhog Day celebration. Punxsy (as the locals call their hometown) has a HUGE statue (three-stories tall to be exact!) of a groundhog outside one of their fast food restaurants. The library keeps the real, live “Phil” in a glass enclosure year-round for visitors to observe, the city has a huge, week-long festival with ice sculptures created by a chain saw carver, food vendors (Groundhog Dogs anyone?) and all kinds of “Phil” related items at their annual craft fair.
There's even a “Little Mr. & Miss Groundhog” contest. And who could pass up a screening of the movie, “Groundhog Day” at the Punxsutawney Community Center?
You'll see many of the Groundhog Day activities in the video slideshow from my visit in 2003 at http://youtu.be/iIoqPBAfSjY. Enjoy!
Have you ever been to Punxsutawney to see whether Phil would see his shadow? If not, do you think you'll ever make the trip? Please share your thoughts with a comment here.
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