PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (EYT) – Tomorrow is February 2, and, as anyone in Western Pennsylvania can tell you, that means it is time for the celebration of Groundhog Day.
[Photos courtesy Kyle Yates Photography]
The annual event, held every February 2 in Punxsutawney, is based on the lore of early German settlers, and its popularity has become so widespread that it draws thousands of visitors from all over the world to a borough of just under 6,000 residents.
Preparations for each year’s festivities usually start well in advance but one the of major concerns is always the weather, which can be quite cold and unpredictable in Western Pennsylvania this time of year. Luckily this year, the frigid weather of the last couple of days of January has fled, and while Saturday is looking chilly, the temperatures should be far more comfortable that they were just a few days earlier.
Although the main event, Punxsutawney Phil’s 133rd annual weather prediction, is officially observed on February 2, the Groundhog Club and Punxsutawney began the annual festivities with the Crowning of Little Mr. & Miss Groundhog on Saturday, January 26, and the Breakfast with Phil and Gobbler’s Knob Got Talent on Sunday, January 27.
Activities for today and tomorrow include food and craft vendors, musical performances, chainsaw carving, scavenger hunts, walking tours, art displays, wine tastings, and more.