When Phil is deemed to have not seen his shadow, that is said to usher in an early spring. When he does see it, there will be six more weeks of winter.
Josh Shapiro, local and state elected officials and a pair of pageant winners were among the dignitaries at the scene. Self-employed New York gingerbread artist Jon Lovitch has attended the event for 33 years.
Phil has predicted a longer winter far more often than an early spring, and one effort to track his accuracy concluded he was right less than half the time. What six more weeks of winter means is subjective. The need for so many buses is why the local schools, where the sports mascot is the Chucks, close when Groundhog Day falls on a weekday.
The club also put up large video screens and more powerful speakers this year to help attendees in the back of the crowd follow the proceedings. Jackie Handley agreed a year ago to visit Punxsutawney for the first time to help a friend check off an item on their bucket list.
They were ready for the subfreezing temperatures. And we have tons of warm clothes," said Handley, who lives in Falls Church, Virginia. After the forecast was made, club members and Phil posed for photos with people from the crowd. Phil has a wife, Punxsutawney Phyllis, and two pups born this spring, Shadow and Sunny, although his family did not join him on stage for the big event.
