It's Groundhog Day!
Pennsylvania's Phil Predicts the Spring Season
PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA, February 1, 2007. February 2nd is Groundhog Day - the day when the sleepy groundhog leaves his winter retreat to foretell the coming of the spring. The occasion is a cause for celebration across the United States - and nowhere more so than in the Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney, the self-proclaimed 'Home of the Groundhog' and setting for the famous 1993 film Groundhog Day. 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 www.groundhog.org
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