PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) 鈥� Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Sunday and predicted six more weeks of wintry weather, his top-hatted handlers announced to a raucus, record-sized crowd at Gobbler鈥檚 Knob in Pennsylvania.
Phil was welcomed with chants of 鈥淧hil, Phil, Phil,鈥� and pulled from a hatch on his tree stump shortly after sunrise before a member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club read from a scroll in which he boasted: 鈥淥nly I know 鈥� you can't trust A.I.鈥�
The woodchuck鈥檚 weather forecast is an annual ritual that goes back more than a century in western Pennsylvania, with far in European folklore, but it took Bill Murray鈥檚 1993 鈥淕roundhog Day鈥� movie to transform the event into what it is today, with tens of thousands of revelers at the scene and imitators scattered around the United States and beyond.
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.
The crowd was treated to a fireworks show, confetti and live music that ranged from the Ramones to 鈥淧ennsylvania Polka鈥� as they awaited sunrise and Phil's emergence. Gov. 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.
鈥淚 like the cold, you know, and this is probably the best and biggest midwinter party in the entire world,鈥� Lovitch said in Punxsutawney. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 just a really good time.鈥�
Phil has predicted a longer winter far more often than an early spring, and one concluded he was right less than half the time. What six more weeks of winter means is subjective.
Tom Dunkel, president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, says there are two types of people who make the trek to Gobbler's Knob: the faithful seeking to validate their beliefs and the doubters who want to confirm their skepticism.
Phil communicated his forecast to Dunkel through 鈥淕roundhog-ese鈥� with the help of a special cane that Dunkel has inherited as the club's leader. It's not as if he speaks in English words.
鈥淗e鈥檒l like wink, he鈥檒l purr, he鈥檒l chatter, he鈥檒l 鈥� you know 鈥� nod,鈥� Dunkel said.
Attendance is free but it cost $5 to take a bus and avoid a 1 mile (1.6 kilometer) trek from the middle of town to the stage where the prediction was made, some 80 miles (123 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh. 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.
Keith Post, his wife and a friend have watched the 鈥淕roundhog Day鈥� movie in each of the past five years and decided this was the time to make the trip from Ohio to witness the event.
鈥淲e booked rooms almost a year in advance and we鈥檙e here,鈥� Post said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e doing it.鈥�
A new welcome center opened four years ago and the club is working on an elaborate second living space for Phil and family so they can split time between Gobbler's Knob and Phil's longtime home at the town library. 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.
"It鈥檚 a holiday where you don鈥檛 really owe anyone anything,鈥� said A.J. Dereume, who among the club's 15-member inner circle serves as Phil's handler and held him up to loud cheers on Sunday. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e grasping onto the belief, you know, in something that鈥檚 just fun to believe in.鈥�
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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 once in a lifetime 鈥� we鈥檙e probably not going to come back. 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. The groundhog family eats fruits and vegetables, get daily visits from Dereume and sees a veterinarian at least once a year.
The club's lore is that Phil is the same woodchuck who has been issuing weather forecasts for the past century, thanks to an 鈥渆lixir of life鈥� that keeps him immortal.
鈥淭here's only one Phil, and it's not something that can be handed down,鈥� Dunkel said. 鈥淛ust like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, there's only one.鈥�
Groundhog Day , formal and informal, were being held in many Pennsylvania towns and elsewhere on Sunday. There have been Groundhog Day events in at least 28 U.S. states and Canadian provinces.
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Vejpongsa reported from Punxsutawney. Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Tassanee Vejpongsa And Mark Scolforo, The Associated Press
