Groundhog Day

2023 - 2 - 3

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Image courtesy of "NPR"

How Groundhog Day came to the U.S. — and why we still celebrate ... (NPR)

Punxsutawney Phil predicts more winter ahead. Groundhogs may not have a great track record when it comes to weather forecasts, but experts say the tradition ...

"I strongly suspect that the people that go to Gobbler's Knob are fully aware of the power of science, but at the same time want to hold on to traditions and a deeper vibe," he says. So he's able to confirm that while Groundhog Day is pegged to Candlemas, it also coincides with the time of year when groundhogs in the northeastern U.S. So there also could be evolutionary responses to this, and what we're really looking at is the evolutionary response to changes over time and the sort of within-generational plasticity, flexibility, if you will." [parts of the U.S.](https://countdowntogroundhogday.com/groundhogs-from-around-the-world) and Canada now have their own beloved animal prognosticators, with some of Phil's better-known contemporaries including New York's " [Staten Island Chuck](https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/groundhog-day)" (aka Charles G. Punxsutawney Phil's handlers, known as the "Inner Circle," continue to wear dark tuxedos, long tails and top hats even today, he points out. The club says Groundhog Day is the same today as when it first started — if the old-timey garb and scrolls are any sign — just with far more participants. His department always has a Groundhog Day party, even in perennially-sunny Los Angeles — but he says you don't have to be a "marmot enthusiast" (as he describes himself) to get something out of the day. "But the idea of watching animals and whether they see their shadow out of hibernation had been going on before that, it just hadn't turned into a public festival until later in the 19th century." And because hedgehogs aren't native to the U.S., they turned to groundhogs (which were plentiful in Pennsylvania) instead. [that feast day](https://www.almanac.com/fact/candlemasgroundhog-day-its-no-accident-that-groundhog-holiday), clergy would bless and distribute all the candles needed for winter — and over time the focus of the day became increasingly about predicting how long winter would last. Germany went a step further by making animals — specifically hedgehogs — part of the proceedings. (One could say it's almost like the 1993 comedy "Groundhog Day" ...

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Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Punxsutawney Phil predicts more winter in Groundhog Day ... (The Guardian)

Members of Phil's 'inner circle' say rotund rodent saw his shadow, meaning six more weeks of winter.

The gathering annually attracts thousands. The inner circle said he did. According to records dating back to 1887, Phil has predicted winter more than 100 times.

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Image courtesy of "WOKV"

Phil's Groundhog Day prediction: 6 more weeks of winter (WOKV)

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — (AP) — A furry critter in a western Pennsylvania town has predicted six more weeks of winter during an annual Groundhog Day celebration.

While Punxsutawney Phil may be the most famous groundhog seer, he's certainly not the only one. [gathered Thursday at Gobbler's Knob](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqZnhsUakIU) as members of Punxsutawney Phil's "inner circle" summoned the groundhog from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he has seen his shadow — and they say he did. According to records dating back to 1887, Phil has predicted winter more than 100 times. The If he doesn't, spring comes early. [2021](https://apnews.com/article/groundhog-day-punxsutawney-prediction-85527080ccef649d2807bfa4804fec25) and [2022 forecasts](https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-groundhog-day-punxsutawney-c6179b6609274d43eb371363d2d816b5) also called for six more weeks of winter.

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Image courtesy of "Fox 56"

The history of Groundhog Day is more complex than you may think (Fox 56)

Celebrating Punxsutawney Phil emerging from the ground is also about Americans seeing or not seeing the shadow of the oldest known indigenous tribe in the ...

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Image courtesy of "VOA Learning English"

Groundhog Day: Weather Predictions from the Animal World (VOA Learning English)

On Groundhog Day, many places in the United States have a tradition of consulting an animal, especially a groundhog, to predict whether spring will come ...

The agency found that “on average, Phil has gotten it right 40 percent of the time.” The reporter finds himself stuck in time and wakes up on the same day, over and over again, while visiting Punxsutawney. In the state of Ohio, Benny the Bass, a fish, ate a minnow - or a small fish - soon after its release. As Germans migrated to what is now the state of Pennsylvania, they chose another animal, and Groundhog Day was born. In the state of Connecticut, Beardsley Bart, a prairie dog in Bridgeport, also predicted it would be an early spring this year. It was as if the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, told them, “I see a shadow…It’s six more weeks of winter weather.”

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Image courtesy of "Reuters"

On Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of ... (Reuters)

The celebrated groundhog known as Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his Pennsylvania burrow on Thursday and saw his shadow, a sign of six more weeks of frosty ...

Meanwhile, the U.S. 2, evolved from an ancient ritual brought to America by German immigrants who settled in what is now the state of Pennsylvania. According to folklore, if the rodent sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, then frigid and blustery weather will persist for six weeks.

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Image courtesy of "NBC Chicago"

Woodstock Willie Has Spoken: Did the Groundhog From the ... (NBC Chicago)

While Pennsylvania may look to Punxsutawney Phil for a weather prediction, the Chicago area turns to Woodstock Willie, a local, plump groundhog who lives in ...

"Folklore from Germany and France indicated that when marmots and bears came out of their winter dens too early, they were frightened by their shadow and retreated back inside for four to six weeks," the post continues. "This was adopted by the Romans as Hedgehog Day. But with a morning in the 20s, it will be much chillier, so "don't forget your booties cause it's coooooold out there!" 2 were awoken from their slumber to perform their annual yet crucial Groundhog Day duty: Prognosticate on the weather. According to the humans of the At approximately 7:07 a.m.

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Image courtesy of "CBS News"

Groundhog Day in Woodstock (CBS News)

CHICAGO (CBS)-- Woodstock Willie saw his shadow Thursday morning, predicting six more weeks of winter. Woodstock's Groundhog Day celebration kicked off ...

There's a big celebration for Groundhog Day getting underway in northwest suburban Woodstock. Some guests came all the way from Spain to celebrate Groundhog Day in Woodstock. Celebrating Groundhog Day in Woodstock; Willie predicts six more weeks of winter

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Image courtesy of "Axios"

Woodstock marks 30th anniversary of "Groundhog Day" (Axios)

The McHenry County town is marking the occasion all weekend with screenings, pancake breakfasts, dances and tours of filming sites.

Thought bubble: I grew up right outside Woodstock and watched the filming in 1992. The town isn't letting that little fact stop them, as they have dubbed a local weather-wise woodchuck "Woodstock Willie." Context: Woodstock sits about 60 miles northwest of Chicago.

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Image courtesy of "PBS NewsHour"

Punxsutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter on Groundhog's ... (PBS NewsHour)

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — A furry critter in a western Pennsylvania town has predicted six more weeks of winter during an annual Groundhog Day celebration.

While Punxsutawney Phil may be the most famous groundhog seer, he’s certainly not the only one. People gathered Thursday at Gobbler’s Knob as members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” summoned the groundhog from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he has seen his shadow — and they say he did. According to records dating back to 1887, Phil has predicted winter more than 100 times.

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Image courtesy of "WMTV - NBC15"

'Groundhog Day' movie was almost filmed in Baraboo (WMTV - NBC15)

Location scouts for the movie Groundhog Day considered filming the 1993 romantic comedy in Baraboo, Wisconsin, but chose a town closer to Chicago.

”I’m a townie... Murray and Harold Ramis’s families lived in Chicago, so they picked Woodstock, Illinois, for the location to be closer to home. ”We ended up going through the middle of Wisconsin in Baraboo of all places which whimsical is the big word for Baraboo,” Hudgins said.

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Image courtesy of "WTTW News"

'Chicago Tonight' in Your Neighborhood: 'Groundhog Day' Leaves ... (WTTW News)

Pennsylvania may have Punxsutawney Phil, but Illinois has its own weather-forecasting rodent: Woodstock Willie, made famous by the movie “Groundhog Day,” ...

I’d want to get out of that loop the way Bill Murray wanted to get out of that loop. Rubin said the story of Murray’s character “wouldn’t have worked unless there was another story, which is about a community of people who chose to come out at dawn in the dead center of winter, but they do it to be goofy and funny and silly … I don’t want to repeat the same day over and over again. Points in red represent our series COVID-19 Across Chicago; blue marks our series “Chicago Tonight” in Your Neighborhood. “It’ll never get old because I love this woman with all my heart.” But you can get out of it just by changing your perspective.” “Chicago Tonight” is expanding its community reporting. Bill Murray and Andie McDowell do a dance scene up here, the snowball fight’s over there,” said Woodstock Days chair Rick Bellairs at the crack of dawn Thursday, as he stood on a city square gazebo featured in the flick. “You people are nuts!” She (yes, Willie is a female groundhog) was reluctant to leave her tree stump. On that account, maybe he wasn’t all wrong given the 19-degree chill. “The movie was filmed here.

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