By Alexis Young
Staff Writer
Thursday, Punxsutawney, PA—affectionately called Punxsy by locals—celebrated the 131st anniversary of Groundhog’s Day. For those who don’t know what Groundhog’s Day is, every February 2nd, a local groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil is pulled from his burrow on top of Gobbler’s Knob to predict the coming of spring.
If Phil sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter, but if he can’t seem to find his shadow, spring is right around the corner. Pure magic.
However, for me and most other locals, the real magic is in the turn out. According to Live Science, Phil has a 39 percent success rate.
The celebration starts at 3 a.m. that day, and those awaiting Phil’s prediction stand outside in the cold February snow until he wakes up to his 7 a.m. alarm. Despite this, from Feb. 1 to Feb. 2, a town of just under 6,000 people springs to 25,000, willing to freeze the early hours of the morning away to see a woodchuck.
The magic of Punxsutawney Phil’s weather predictions wore off on the residents of Punxsutawney right after they graduated kindergarten. However, they are still in awe of the outstanding global response the holiday garners.
People from every continent (except Antarctica, it’s not that special) come to this small town in Western Pennsylvania.
Not including Pittsburgh, when is the last time you planned a vacation to Western Pennsylvania? This is exactly why we’re amazed.
This holiday has arguably made Punxsutawney the most famous small town in the world. We even have a Bill Murray movie about it! However, this is not the real Punxsutawney.
The real Punxsutawney is not found on the big screen. It’s honestly not even found when visiting the town on Groundhog’s Day.
Discounting the holiday—which at best, locals see as an extra day off of school and at worst a nuisance as it now takes 30 minutes to get across town rather than three minutes—Punxsy is the quintessential ‘small town America.’ Outside of Groundhog’s Day, locals only think about groundhogs when it comes to farming. The town sprang up as a coal town and grew to prominence with the railroad and has slowly been dying with it.
Like any small town, most cannot wait to graduate and leave town for good. However, in my four years away, I have really come to appreciate this odd little town. There are not many places where you can walk into the local grocery store and know everyone from the owner to the grocery bagger. Although I won’t live there for at least another four years, I cannot complain about where I am from. Punxsy has provided me with opportunities and support, and it’s always a talking topic.
The Punxsy I grew up in is completely separate of the holiday. The summer months are when you catch us at our best. Bikes stream down the trails, kids play outside and you can often find them jumping from the bridges into the Mahoning River below. Parents spend weekends standing off the edge of Cloe Lake teaching their children to fish. Even when it’s freezing, plenty of free time is spent outdoors hunting and ice fishing.
So while the locals and many other people get a laugh over the prominence of the holiday, I feel there is something to be said for Punxsy.
youngam13@bonaventure.edu
