Gobbler's Groundhog

I love the movie "Groundhog Day". But never in a million years did I think I would someday live close enough to visit the small town of Punxsutawney, PA. Well, guess what? It's only two hours away! Unfortunately the movie, "Groundhog Day" was NOT filmed in Punxsutawney where the Groundhog Day tradition lives. But we decided to go anyway. Why not, right?

We left home at 3am, so needless to say we all didn't get much sleep. My husband actually got no sleep, deciding that it would be better for him just to stay up then try to function with only 3 hours of sleep. We arrived in Punxsutawney around 5am. We had to park near a shuttle stop to catch a bus to Gobbler's Knob which is about 2 miles out of town. There were a TON of school buses acting as shuttles. Gobbler's Knob, unlike in the "Groundhog Day" movie, is a wooded hill with a platform at the bottom. The further you move up, the "taller" you can get to see over the massive crowd. This is good for me because I'm half the size of most people! We found a spot just as the fireworks started. We then froze for an hour until it was time for Phil to come out. Just like in the movie, the "inner circle" speaks to Phil and translates if he saw his shadow or not. The 6 more weeks of winter prediction sent boos throughout the 10,000 people attending (one of the largest crowds since Bill Murray was there years ago). Then everyone gets on the buses and heads to town for breakfast. Punxsutawney thrives on this holiday as it brings a lot of business into their little town. Therefore, the groundhog is everywhere- on business signs, street corners, and home decor. It's a charming little town with Groundhog Day spirit!

I don't think I've ever been so cold in my life. I had on tights, thermals, knee high socks, two pairs of gloves and I still froze. Of course it didn't help that it was spitting snow and a little windy. I almost slipped and fell on ice at least 5 times and saw plenty of people hit the ground! Thank God there was a bonfire at Gobbler's Knob and the buses were heated. We bought souvenirs, took a lot of pictures, sampled food and finally left Punxsutawney around 1pm. And now we can say we experienced Groundhog's Day with Punxsutawney Phil at Gobbler's Knob. Happy Groundhog Day!