We wonder what winter weather wisdom wonderful woolly Phil will whip out of his "seer of seers" stump.
Punxsutawney Phil, the immortal meteorological marmot, has been awoken and pulled from his fake stump on Gobbler's Knob in time to greet the rosy-fingered dawn and inform the great gathered Groundhog Day crowd whether they need to find fallen firewood, or if they should spruce themselves up for a spectacular Spring season.
What Phil reported
At 7:09 the host made the call, "send in the top hats," which paused the singing and dancing part of the event and got to the serious portion, leading up to the appearance of Phil.
The temperature, based on the giant thermometer worn by one of the Top Hats, was a balmy 30 degrees and the crowd looked heavily dressed from small children to a number of white bearded older gentlemen.
Bill Deely led the crowd in a Phil, Phil, Phil chant as the handlers pulled a feisty Phil from his temporary borough.
Having seen his shadow, Phil has announced to an anxious assembly that there won't be an early Spring this year, the 121st year he has agreed to accord audiences with his announcement based on whether he is frightened back into his hole by seeing his shadow.
The process
In the wee dark hours of the morning of the second day of the second month, the semi-secret members of the Groundhog Club secretly scurry the sleepy herbivore from his real home in the solarium by the book sanctuary (Punxsutawney Memorial Library) with its brand new "Phil's Burrow" awning and decorative covering.
They then merrily move the magnificent, marvellous marmot to his anxiously awaiting audience by way of his private green room (fake tree stump), to make his anticipated appearance at about a minute after dawn.
The inner circle
The gentlemen you see around Phil on Gobbler’s Knob wearing formal top hats from the inner circle of The Groundhog Club, and only the president of the club can understand groundhog talk.
The president for this year's Groundhog Day is Bill Deeley; he will be the person who undertakes hearing hoggish herbivore Phil’s prescient prediction proclaiming it to the anticipatory audience. William's wistful weather philosophy is, “Winter is to be cold, & summers are to be warm.” The Deeley Funeral Home is located at the other end of town from Gobbler's Knob, next to Punxsutawney Memorial Hospital, and separated from the hospital only by the Grace United Methodist Church.
Punxsutawney is a Native American word meaning, more or less, place of the sand fleas. There is actually a wooden "Indian" outside the Police Department.
