PUNXSUTAWNEY —
More than 18,000 people – some representing states as far away as Arkansas and Oregon – crammed into the outdoor amphitheatre of Gobbler’s Knob on Thursday for the annual weather party known as Groundhog Day.
Some arrive as early as 8:30 the evening before.
They were treated to plenty of entertainment - whether it was fireworks set to a John Williams score, an audience-engaging drum circle - in the hours before Phil “saw his shadow” and predicted six more weeks of winter.
“It’s a great gathering place, where people can meet each other and experience something new,” said Katie Taylor of State College. “And, y’know, (it’s a) local Pa. kind of thing. And groundhogs are really cute.”
Members of the Punxsutawney “Inner Circle” declared this one of the largest crowds that Phil, the prognosticating groundhog, has drawn to the otherwise sleepy hamlet. Phil’s guests Thursday included Gov. Tom Corbett.
First-year Inner Circle member and “Chief Healthman” Jon Johnston said he was born and raised in the Punxsutawney area and still remembers what Groundhog Day was like in the late 1960s.
“(My family) can remember when it was just the Inner Circle and their family members,” Johnston said.
The spectacle and energy reflected the brisk yet unseasonably warm 31-degree temperature.
Crowds rolled in through the wee hours of the morning. A handful settled into front-and-center spots at 2:45 a.m., although Phil wouldn’t be produced from his “stump-house” for nearly another five hours.
First-timer Adam Wlostowski of State College speculated about the draw of the Knob’s rare atmosphere.
“Universal sense of curiosity - what is it all about? Why is this wonky tradition carried on so long?” Wlostowski said. “And I don’t know all the answers to that, but I want to find out.”
The audience was entertained by the comedic stylings of Dave Gigliotti - whose job, it appeared, was to dance for almost four straight hours.
As the Punxsutawney “Thunder Conductor,” Gigliotti shared emcee duties with musician John Griffiths. Shortly before the rotund groundhog Phil was roused from his slumber, leadership of the entertainment aspect of future festivals was handed over to Gigliotti.
Groundhogs have been predicting the weather since 1887 in Punxsutawney. But the old ceremony has taken on some modern twists, with fans following the festivities on Facebook and Twitter.
This year marks the 100th time Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow and predicted another six weeks of winter weather. But some meteorologists beg to differ.
“There is some winter left on the table, but not a full six weeks for most of the U.S.,” Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather.com meteorologist, said in a press release.
AccuWeather.com said the only regions that should expect a long stretch of cold are the Great Lakes and the Northeast.
“Each day will be like déjà vu, similar to the Groundhog Day movie,” chief forecaster Elliot Abrams said in the release. “Every day will be the same ... chilly.”
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