PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Every year on Groundhog Day, Prognosticator Punxsutawney Phil will either see his shadow or predict an early spring. However, what happens with the famous groundhog leading up to that moment and after?
In the days before the main event, Phil keeps to his schedule.
“It goes in phases. Groundhog Day is a lot like New Year’s Eve where a lot of the celebration actually happens on the 1st and you know culminating with Phil coming out of his stump at daybreak on February 2nd,” His Handler and Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle Member, A.J. Dereume said.
Throughout the month of January, Phil is very busy and is always doing something at least four days a week.
“I don’t think he’s ever not preparing for Groundhog Day. It’s in his blood 24/7. He knows what his responsibilities are,” Punxsutawney Groundhog Club President Thomas Dunkel said.
Phil also has an early start to his day on the eve of Groundhog Day.
“We’ll start probably at six or seven in the morning with interviews and things,” Dereume said. “Have a couple of school appearances and in the afternoon we do something called the members-only reception.”
Dereume explains the Groundhog Club has tens of thousands of members from around the world and some members can have the opportunity to attend the members-only reception to have a one-on-one meeting with Phil and talk with the club’s Inner Circle members.
While thousands are having fun at Gobbler’s Knob the night before Groundhog Day, Phil stays home where he prepares and rests for the coming morning.
“Really I don’t know if he sleeps or studies his weather instruments in his burrow or what it is he does. He gets ready for the prognostication in the morning,” Dereume said. “So he sleeps and gets a good 12 hours before he actually comes out.”
On Groundhog Day morning, Dereume said he and Phil will walk from his borrow at the local library to Gobblers Knob through what he describes as a tunnel.
“It’s maybe a mile and a half from our local library to Gobblers Knob. There’s a tunnel underneath the library. You go down and there’s a labyrinth of caves and passages,” Dereume said. “We make it up here and there’s a small elevator that actually brings him up from underneath the Knob and into the stump.”
Dereume explained the stump is heated and climate controlled for Phil as he waits to be pulled out for his prognostication.
“When A.J. reaches into his borrow to pull him out, he’s ready to put on a show,” Dunkel said. “He latches onto his hand and he’s held high for all to see.”
Phil will then communicate with Dunkel in a special language called “Groundhogese.”
“This cane right here is handed down from President to President and when you are holding this cane it gives you the ability to communicate with Phil in Groundhogese,” Dunkel said. “It’s with nods, chirps and purrs and just nods of the head that give me the ability to understand what Phils trying to communicate. From that, that’s how I’ll pick the appropriate scroll on February 2nd so we’ll know if it’s six more weeks of winter or an early spring.”
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Once the correct scroll is selected the prognostication is read. Phil then sticks around for some photos with those who came to see him.
After that, Phil is like many that go to the Groundhog Day celebration; tired and ready for a nap.