This past weekend, I attended the 14th annual Woodstock, Illinois, Groundhog Day festival. This occurred on a Saturday, so attendance, which has been growing in the last several years, was even higher than usual.
I heard that a crowd of 1000 were there when Willie
did not see his shadow at sunrise, 7:07 am. This means we'll have a short winter, but with this major snowstorm we're having here in northeast Illinois today, I don't know about that. I, however, was not present, having awakened at 7:10.
Sorry Punxsutawney Phil, but I will go with Woodstock Willie as he (actually she now) is more hometown. The one we had last year died.
A little history of Groundhog Day which occurs every Feb. 2ndThe Germans brought their Candlemas celebration with them to the new world when they began settling in western Pennsylvania. The good folks of Punxsutawney have been having the observance since 1886, during which time Phil has seen his shadow 96 years, not seen it 15, and there were another 9 years in which, for some reason, no records were kept in the 1890s.
There have been two major storms that occurred on Groundhog Day. One was the 1976 Nor'easter that clobbered New England with 110 mph winds. The other was in 1952 when the only tropical storm ever recorded to make a February landfall in the US hit packing 60 mph winds.
What About the Movie?The movie "Groundhog Day" was filmed in 1992 and released in 1993. Woodstock, Illinois, was chosen as the site because it was determined that having a square with buildings all around it would better exemplify Bill Murray being stuck on one day than a linear Main Street that the real Punxsutawney has. Plus, Bill Murray and director Harold Raimis are native Chicagoans and wanted to film closer to home.
Some Punxsutawney Phil StoriesI have to wonder whether Phil Connors, the erstwhile weatherman, was named after Punxsutawney Phil.
Phil's handler said that Phil doesn't bite (although Bill Murray was bitten by the one in the movie), but will nibble on fingers when he wants to be let down. Phil does not live at Gobbler's Knob, which is on the outskirts of town. He is only there in a precast stump the night before and day of. His real home is in the Punxsutawney Zoo in a very comfortable 12 x 14 burrow. He lives with his wife Phyliss.
He has never escaped, and who would want to under those luxurious conditions. But he did once travel to DC to visit with President Reagan. In 1981, he wore a yellow ribbon for the American hostages in Iran.
I will be writing spme more about the festival at
http://roaddogsroadlog.blogspot.com.
Not a Bad Job if You Can Get It. --Da Coot
