FloridaLarry
Well-Known Member
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. Six more weeks of winter, de-icing, slippery runways and fun dawn aircraft inspections.
Back when I was young and charming, I actually covered this (non-)event, some 40 plus years ago. Before the Bill Murray movie, and back in the days of film news. We actually shot it at a dress rehearsal a day earlier, since otherwise no one could get their 16mm film out, through the processor, and on the air actually on Groundhog Day. Punxsy (pop around 6,000) isn't near ANYWHERE, and hand-held video cams & satellite back-hauls hadn't been invented yet. The elderly Ground Hog Club poo-bahs were there atop Gobbler's Knob, 2 miles south of center-city Punxsy, wearing top hats & tails. The meteorological stump was hollowed out, with a bright red door in front, and an un-painted wooden door in the back. A game warden from a nearby state park showed up with a young groundhog in a cage, opened the back door to the stump and shoved the little rodent in.
One of the top-hatted gents made a speech about taking post-grad-you-ate courses in Paris to learn to speak Groundhog-ese, made sure his gloves were on, and opened the red door. The ground hog, being smarter than the average rodent, wanted no part of this and had to be dragged out by the scruff of his neck. The Chief Top Hat had evidently also had classes in how to hold a ground hog up by the side of his top hat and avoid turning his ear into ground-hog kibble. He did so and - low and behold - he could hear Phil whisper his forecast into that ear. Photo op continued, and the cold penetrated. The dozen or so people climbed back into heated cars and drove down Gobbler's Knob.
I asked the game warden what the ground hog's name was. "We just call him 'Chuckie,' he replied.
The movie was shot in Woodstock, Illinois, near the Wisconsin border; The town of Punxsutawney wasn't deemed scenic enough. Bill Murray was bitten at least twice, and had to undergo rabies shots. Pretty good movie.
I know, there are other up-start towns claiming Weather Rodent Rights, but there's only one Punxsutawney.
Back when I was young and charming, I actually covered this (non-)event, some 40 plus years ago. Before the Bill Murray movie, and back in the days of film news. We actually shot it at a dress rehearsal a day earlier, since otherwise no one could get their 16mm film out, through the processor, and on the air actually on Groundhog Day. Punxsy (pop around 6,000) isn't near ANYWHERE, and hand-held video cams & satellite back-hauls hadn't been invented yet. The elderly Ground Hog Club poo-bahs were there atop Gobbler's Knob, 2 miles south of center-city Punxsy, wearing top hats & tails. The meteorological stump was hollowed out, with a bright red door in front, and an un-painted wooden door in the back. A game warden from a nearby state park showed up with a young groundhog in a cage, opened the back door to the stump and shoved the little rodent in.
One of the top-hatted gents made a speech about taking post-grad-you-ate courses in Paris to learn to speak Groundhog-ese, made sure his gloves were on, and opened the red door. The ground hog, being smarter than the average rodent, wanted no part of this and had to be dragged out by the scruff of his neck. The Chief Top Hat had evidently also had classes in how to hold a ground hog up by the side of his top hat and avoid turning his ear into ground-hog kibble. He did so and - low and behold - he could hear Phil whisper his forecast into that ear. Photo op continued, and the cold penetrated. The dozen or so people climbed back into heated cars and drove down Gobbler's Knob.
I asked the game warden what the ground hog's name was. "We just call him 'Chuckie,' he replied.
The movie was shot in Woodstock, Illinois, near the Wisconsin border; The town of Punxsutawney wasn't deemed scenic enough. Bill Murray was bitten at least twice, and had to undergo rabies shots. Pretty good movie.
I know, there are other up-start towns claiming Weather Rodent Rights, but there's only one Punxsutawney.
