PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa.—Six More Weeks of Winter, foretold the rodent ‘Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of Prognosticators’ at Gobbler’s Knob, in his apparent 124th appearance in that role.
An estimated 15,000 people gathered on a chilly Tuesday morning to see Punxsutawney Phil, the original weather-prognosticating groundhog, come out of his burrow. Today, he saw his shadow, which means, according to local legend, that six more weeks of winter are guaranteed.
If you believe the hype, there has been only one Phil since 1887, and he is the only one true prognosticator among many imitators. In the mid-1970’s, local businessmen took to popularizing the tradition as a source of tourist revenue for the town, but it took the 1993 release of Groundhog Day, the movie, to bring the crowds in 15,000 – 30,000 strong. Being a Tuesday, and a particularly cold one, crowds were a bit thinner than usual but still impressive—all things considered.
Since 1887, Phil has only predicted an early spring 15 times.
“However silly it might be, this holiday has existed for years. You have to look at the longevity, and you have to say that there’s something to it,” said Stephen Tobolowsky, who was made an honorary member of the Groundhog Day Inner Circle the night prior. Mr. Tobolowsky played the nerdy Ned Ryerson in the 1993 Groundhog Day movie. He was on hand for the first time in Punxsutawney to see Phil’s weather prognosis; the movie was actually filmed in Woodstock, Illinois, near Chicago.
“Groundhog Day [in Punxsutawney] is the difference between the really kitschy quilt, and the real traditional Americana one,” added actress Ann Hearn Tobolowsky, Stephen’s longtime wife, emphasizing the authentic feel of the event.
Adding to the intrigue, New York City’s Staten Island Chuck didn’t see its own shadow, contrasting Phil’s prediction.
