Tuesday was Groundhog Day. A holiday where people from all over the world pour into a small town in Pennsylvania to stand in the cold all night waiting for the sun to rise and a groundhog to see his shadow, somehow ‘predicting’ when spring will come. Ridiculous, I know. But I’m from there.
Groundhog Day is an event that takes place every Feb. 2 in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Local lore suggests that every year a groundhog by the name of Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his burrow, located in the woods of Gobbler’s Knob, to predict the weather via shadow.
If Phil sees his shadow at daybreak there will be six more weeks of winter. If the famous woodchuck fails to find his shadow, spring will be right around the corner—no specified time period, just sometime soon I guess?
Perhaps you have seen the movie “Groundhog’s Day” starring Bill Murray? Yeah… that was not filmed in Punxsutawney, but it is based on the holiday that takes place there and continues to be one of the best advertisements for the event.
In honor of the holiday—and because the town needs to use the school buses to transport tourists—the students of Punxsutawney get the day off. The rare few go to Gobbler’s Knob to freeze with all the tourists, a handful of lucky kids go to the beach, but the majority of the students spend the day at home.
Staying home might not seem all that bad, however, when you’re home on Groundhog’s Day it’s the only place you can be because of the insane amount of traffic flooding the small streets. If the street isn’t blocked off by police in an effort to control the crazy influx of traffic, you are backed up for hours as pedestrians cross wherever they please.
Want to go to your friend’s house that is typically a 10-minute drive? Sure, if you want to spend an hour or more getting there. Need to go to the store because you forgot to stock up on food before the festivities began? You’re probably better off not eating that day than braving the storm of tourists trying to pack themselves into your town.
One can understand how this would especially frustrate the adults who do not get the day off for the holiday.
On top of this, groundhogs are actually a farmer’s nightmare. They burrow through farmers’ fields, eat their crops and their holes prove to be a real hazard to livestock. This wouldn’t matter so much if we were situated in a more urban environment, however, a significant amount of residents are involved with farming in one way or another.
For reasons like these, many of the citizens of Punxsutawney have an aversion to the holiday and high school seniors cannot wait to leave the town and the holiday behind.
However, like many of my former classmates seem to be doing, I have come to realize that being associated with the holiday is not always a bad thing. Economically, the holiday is very good for our town. Some spend a considerable amount of time making handmade crafts and souvenirs for the occasion, and it brings consumers that the town would not otherwise see.
And what other small town is actually on the map?
I had the opportunity to visit Australia, and as I was there I had a conversation with two Sydney natives. When the subject of hometown came up, they squealed with delight that they knew exactly where I was from and had actually visited my town once upon a time. This lead to a great conversation that I more than likely would not have had. Through this, I was able to ask and be asked about our home countries’ cultures and our own experiences in them.
Later, as I went off to college, I found that this not only served as a great talking point in a foreign country, but it also could fill lulls in conversations wherever I might be.
Meeting new people is hard and finding something to talk about is often times harder. However, I have been able to form friendships with many in the area through the off shoots of conversation that the standard ‘Where are you from?’ question has provided.
It also brings the town together in a way that not many small towns experience. You either love the holiday or you hate it, and there’s plenty of bonding and debate that takes place based on whichever side you are on.
So yes, laugh next year when you think of all the people standing outside for hours to see a groundhog at the break of dawn. The people of Punxsutawney are laughing with you as well. Just remember that there are benefits to this quirky holiday, and they do outweigh the inconvenience of a few days.
youngam13@bonaventure.edu
