Six More Weeks of Winter?

What a winter we've had this year. With record low temperatures and heavy snowfall, I think we all are asking the same question. When is it going to be over?

February 2 will bring Groundhog Day to us, and possibly an answer to that question. The day has an interesting history, and is the theme of our event on Saturday, February 1, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., where participants will be able to make their own groundhog and terrain.

Groundhog Day was first observed as it is today in 1886. In the town of Punxutawney, Pennsylvania, a groundhog by the name of Punxutawney Phil will emerge from his home on Gobbler's Knob and take a look around, predicting the weather for the remainder of the winter. If Phil sees his shadow, then six more weeks of winter will follow. However, if Phil does not see his shadow, then it is predicted that spring will shortly follow.

The Groundhog Day tradition has roots in Pennsylvanian German customs, which date back to the 18th and 19th centuries and have origins in European weather lore. Groundhog Day also may have stemmed from Candlemas Day, an event observed by early European Christians. The custom was that clergymen blessed candles that were then distributed to the people. On the day that this happened, the weather was noted, and was used to predict the weather for the next few weeks. There are varying rhymes from different regions and countries that suggest what the weather meant, and included are English, Scottish, and German versions.

These days, Punxutawney Phil's appearance every year on February 2 draws tens of thousands of people to Punxutawney, PA and Gobbler's Knob to watch the little animal make his prediction. The Inner Circle, the group responsible for the care of Phil, recognizable by their top hats and tuxedos, plans the ceremony, which begins long before the sun rises at about 7:25 a.m. Based on past predictions and weather records, Phil's predictions have been correct 39 percent of the time.

Folklore suggests that since 1886, there has been only one groundhog that emerges from Gobbler's Knob every year, and that groundhog is Punxutawney Phil. According to the lore, it is a special groundhog elixir that he is given a sip of every summer that keeps Phil healthy and adds seven more years to his life.

When Phil is not at Gobbler's Knob predicting the weather, he lives in the town library with his 'wife' Phyllis.

Want to make your own Punxutawney Phil or Phyllis? On Saturday, February 1, at 1 p.m., you will have the opportunity to do so, and to create his or her own terrain. Join us to see if we get an early spring, or six more weeks of this winter weather.