No shadow for groundhog
predicts an early spring

The Associated Press

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pennsylvania — A new pair of hands pulled Punxsutawney Phil from his stump this year, so it was only fitting that the groundhog offered a new prediction.

Phil did not see his shadow on Friday, February 2 which, according to German folklore, means folks can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter.

"But please, that does not mean tomorrow or next week," Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle president Bill Cooper said, adding a disclaimer to the prediction in light of a forecast calling for single-digit temperatures last weekend. "But it does mean an early arrival of spring."

Since 1886, Phil has seen his shadow 96 times, has not seen it 15 times and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The last time Phil failed to see his shadow was in 1999.

More than 15,000 revelers milled about in a misty snow waiting for the prediction, as fireworks exploded overhead and the "Pennsylvania Polka" and other music blared in the background.

Longtime handler Bill Deeley retired after more than a dozen years and was replaced Friday by Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle members John Griffiths and Ben Hughes.

Each February 2, thousands of people descend on Punxsutawney, a town of about 6,100 people about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to celebrate what had essentially been a German superstition.

The Germans believed that if a hibernating animal cast a shadow on February 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter would last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early.

Sammi Gainor, 17, came from New Kensington, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Punxsutawney, arriving about an hour before the prediction. Thousands of others had arrived hours before and spent much of the night outside.

"We really liked the movie 'Groundhog Day' and about four years ago we decided, 'Why not go up there?'" she said. "Since then it's really been just good memories of things I do together with my dad."

Her father, Richard Gainor, said he refuses to take a shuttle bus from a distant parking lot to Gobbler's Knob. "It's just fun taking the trek up, I think it's a two-mile (3.2 kilometers) walk, to get up here."

Fireworks were exploding overhead as the Gainors prepared for the walk, which was more pleasant than in recent years.

Interest in the town's festivities got a huge boost after the release of the 1993 film in which Bill Murray plays a television reporter covering the event. After the movie, the event drew large partying crowds. Though still a favorite gathering for university students, the celebration is more family friendly in recent years since alcohol is now banned from Gobbler's Knob.

More than 20 television stations from the U.S. and abroad were on hand to broadcast the event live, including two from Germany and two from Spain.
______