We have all heard of Groundhog Day on February 2nd. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog, called Punxsutawney Phil, emerging from its burrow on this day sees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and winter will persist for six more weeks; but if it does not see its shadow because of cloudiness, spring will arrive early. We might have all seen the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. Where he has to relive the same day over and over again until he gets it right. What we don’t know much about is the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
The area was originally settled by the Lenape (Delaware Indians), and the name “Punxsutawney” derives from a Native name in Unami (a Lenape language): Punkwsutènay, which translates to “town of the sandflies” or “town of the mosquitoes” (punkwës– ‘mosquito’ + –utènay ‘town’). Alternatively, the name is said to come from another Unami term, Put’schisk’tey, which means “poison vine.” It was originally a Native American campsite.
Punxsutawney Phil has been in charge of telling us how long winter will wear on (and, conversely, when spring will finally bloom) since 1887. When Punxsutawney Phil is not busy predicting the weather at Gobbler’s Knob, a rural area about two miles outside of Punxsutawney proper, he lives in the town library.
More than 40,000 people visit Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania every year to see the most famous groundhog. This year the festive will not happen at Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
Punxsutawney is considered “The Weather Capital of the World” is the perfect location for a museum dedicated to the weather, and the Weather Discovery Center doesn’t disappoint. Here, visitors can learn about weather, experience the feeling of a real tornado, create a thunderstorm, or even crawl inside Phil’s burrow. If you want to learn more about the weather, you won’t want to miss this museum.
Picture is Groundhog Day 2005 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania provided by Wikipedia.
