The great prognosticator has spoken. I grew up in the rural area of a town about 20 miles north of Punxsutawney. In my adult life, I have often used Punxsutawney (or Punxsy to regional natives) as a point of reference to explain where my home town is in Pennsylvania. I also gave an informational speech on Groundhog Day for my freshman speech class in college. So Groundhog Day always holds a special place in my heart. The thing is, I don’t think the folks in the Groundhog Club at Gobbler’s Knob have yet realized that 6 weeks of winter (what is predicted when the wood chuck sees his shadow) is no different than “spring is around the corner” (what is predicted when Phil is shadowless). I guess the point is that in the dead of winter, we need a reason for a little diversion, even if it comes in the form of a large rodent.
2 thoughts on “Happy Groundhog Day”
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You mean the groundhog prediction is NOT scientific?!!
By the way, how did you like the movie Groundhog Day?
I saw the end of a special on groundhogs that said “scientists have learned a lot from groundhogs.” So, perhaps there is some science in all this 😉 Re. Groundhog Day – the movie, we love it. We have a copy that we dig out to watch every now and then. When it first came out, I had to watch to see how they would portray Punxsutawney. They did a pretty good job of capturing the feel of the town. The hotel that is the inspiration for the one where Bill Murray stays only wishes it were in as good shape as the one shown in the movie (although family members have said it has been renovated in recent years). The actual “Groundhog Festival” in Punxsutawney is really held in the summer. They have special events on Groundhog Day, but the people there are smart. They wait until the weather is nice to have a festival.