The Groundhog Day celebration at Gobbler's Knob started in 1887. Aside from a 10-year gap, records for each prognostication have been meticulously kept. Groundhog Day is a tradition that has taken place annually in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania since Feb. 2, 1987. A groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, is brought out at sunrise to make a prediction on how the remaining winter will play out. Groundhog handler AJ Derume holds Punxsutawney Phil, who saw his shadow, predicting late spring during the 136th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Feb. 2, 2022, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil during the 138th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger) What is Groundhog Day? People flock to Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 2 every year to be a part of the celebrations revolving around Punxsutawney Phil's winter forecast. The first official Groundhog Day took place on February 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The event took up permanent residence at Gobbler’s Knob the following year. When is Groundhog Day 2025? Groundhog Day is celebrated every year on Feb. 2. This year, it falls on a Sunday. How is 'Punxsutawney' pronounced? Punxsutawney Phil is named after a borough in Groundhog Day, celebrated every year on February 2, is an unusual holiday that stretches back hundreds of years back to European traditions and even ancient times. How is Groundhog Day Celebrated? Groundhog Day is famously connected to weather prediction, with the most prominent tradition involving a groundhog predicting the conclusion of Annually, Groundhog Day falls on Feb. 2. More: How a tiny Texas town of 71 residents became an epicenter for Valentine's Day What is the origin of Groundhog Day? Punxsutawney Phil is the best-known groundhog who has been making predictions since 1886, according to Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The Groundhog Day tradition as we know it dates to 1887. Here is what you need to know about Groundhog Day: the day dedicated to a weather-predicting rodent. Buckeye Chuck in Ohio, and Staten Island Chuck in New York. However, Phil is the most The 1993 comedy movie, Groundhog Day, takes place in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on Groundhog Day. The main character (played by Bill Murray) is forced to relive the day over and over again until he can learn to give up his selfishness and become a better person. [18] The groundhog is known as Punxsutawney Phil, because the town where the Groundhog Day tradition originated is called Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. A big celebration is still held in the town to this Groundhog Day is Sunday, and now is a good time to familiarize yourself before you check out the annual weather forecasting festivals in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Here's what you need Here's when Groundhog Day began: The first mention of Groundhog Day came in 1886 in Punxsutawney. Over the years, several other locations have begun using their own groundhog, including General For the fifth year in a row, a New Jersey borough has had to cancel its beloved Groundhog Day celebration for a simple, and pretty important, reason: They don’t have a groundhog. If General Beauregard "Beau" Lee, Georgia's famous groundhog, sees his shadow when he leaves his stately mansion at Jackson's Dauset Trails Nature Center, folklore says we'll have six more weeks 1993 - Columbia Pictures releases the movie, "Groundhog Day," starring Bill Murray.In the years following the release of the movie, crowds numbering as high as 30,000 have visited Gobbler's Knob New Jersey has long had its own groundhog - and celebrated its very own Groundhog Day. Like everything else, we went our own way! But back in 2021, that Jersey groundhog - Milltown Mel, um, well, died. It is now 2025 and ol' Mel is still dead. The problem is - there was no backup for Mel. No reserve groundhog, no backup groundhog. The Children's Museum in West Hartford has added a new groundhog to its animal sanctuary and is letting the public vote for its new name ahead of Groundhog Day.
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