Will spring be in the air on February 2nd?

Since the release of the film “Groundhog Day” fifteen years ago, tourist visitors to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on the actual day of quirky celebration, February 2nd, have often more than quintupled the population numbers.

Thousands of visitors from around the globe congregate here each year to await the appearance of ‘Punxsutawney Phil’, the town’s famous resident Groundhog, from his underground home in Gobbler’s Knob.

Legend has it that if the beast sees his shadow when he emerges from hibernation, he regards it as an omen of six more weeks of cold weather and returns to his lair; if however there is no shadow, he takes it as a sign of spring and stays above ground.

Punxsutawney is located in Pennsylvania’s North Western region, renowned for its quaint towns and untamed wilderness. The area is home to the only herd of wild Elk in Pennsylvania and is also famous for its spectacular displays of ‘fall foliage’ in October.

Further information on the region can be obtained at Groundhog.org.