How Groundhog Day transforms a quiet town into a spectacle

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Feb. 2 is Punxsutawney Phil’s big day and his town has the spotlight. Thousands will gather at Gobbler’s Knob in anticipation of Phil’s prognostication.

Downtown Punxsutawney is quiet except on Groundhog Day. Now, the town is working to build around the holiday and its tradition with multi-day events.

“There’s the groundhog ball, the groundhog banquet, we have a dueling piano party that kicks off Groundhog Day officially,” Dan McGinley, Vice President of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club said. 

Groundhog Day brings people from around the world resulting in booked hotels and restaurants filled to the brim.  

“It’s huge, it’s huge for the town Punxsutawney is on the map because of Punxsutawney Phil and Groundhog Day and so we try and lean into that,” McGinley said. “We try and embrace that as best we can.”

Still, nothing outshines Phil’s prognostication and the suspense. It makes for a fun guess with early spring wishers and winter enthusiasts both hoping it goes their way.

Based on Phil’s track record, McGinley said he tends to guess there will be six more weeks of winter.

“I don’t know what he’s gonna see that morning, I’m just going off the percentages but I’m ok with six more weeks of winter,” McGinley said. “whatever Phil says I’m good.”