Punxsutawney Phil Knows How To Party

Let's revisit that time I asked revelers at Gobbler's Knob about groundhog biology.

It’s the most wonderful day of the year—Groundhog Day! And what’s so wonderful about that, you might ask?

Well, it’s the only day I know of in which we celebrate a marmot. Which if you think about it, is pretty great.

Groundhogs are native to North America and can be found from Georgia all the way up to Alaska. They’re rodents, technically, and also ‘ground squirrels’.

If you’re from a place that does not have groundhogs and you’ve never heard of this bizarre tradition known as Groundhog Day, here’s a brief summary. Every February 2nd, a small town in Pennsylvania holds a big party that goes all night.

Then, at sunrise, the whole town embarks on a pilgramage to a small hill known as Gobbler’s Knob where a bunch of guys wearing tuxedos and tophats pull a captive groundhog out of a kennel. The groundhog’s name is Punxsutawney Phil.

Why tuxedoes and tophats? Well, according to the Groundhog Club, Punxsutawney Phil is royalty. And you dress up around royalty. Yes, even rodent royalty.

If the groundhog “sees his shadow”, then we’ll have six more weeks of winter. If the groundhog does not see his shadow, then spring is on its way.

Perhaps most importantly, all of this groundhog worship was immortalized by the Bill Murray film, Groundhog Day, which is very much worth checking out.

So, Did Punxsutawney Phil See His Shadow This Morning?

Yes, yes he did. Six more weeks of winter. My kids were not pleased.

I tried to explain that this one particular groundhog does not have weather prognostication abilities, but that the tradition hails from the Old World where farmers would plant their crops when they started seeing hedgehogs waddling around. My kids were not impressed. Maybe you aren’t either.

But I have a Groundhog Day treat for you anyway.

Way back in 2017, I ventured to Punxsutawney with my buddy Mark to interview bar patrons about groundhog biology. Things like, “What’s the best way to sex a groundhog?”

As you might imagine, it was hilarious, and exhausting, but ultimately the video we produced for The Washington Post remains one of the highlights of my career. (Huge thanks to Monica Akhtar for the expert editing that made our messy mass of early morning footage look wildly professional. And to Mark, for being my cameraman and all-nighter ride-or-die.)

Anyway, the video refuses to embed here, but I’ve acquired a link for you that should get you around the paywall. Please give it a watch this morning. I promise, it’ll warm you up on this chilly February 2nd. All you have to do is CLICK HERE!~

You can also copy and paste this link, if that’s easier for some reason.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/national/punxsutawney-presents-drunk-biology/2017/02/02/3c5000b6-e945-11e6-903d-9b11ed7d8d2a_video.html

Happy Groundhog Day, friends!