I've always enjoyed the concept of Groundhog Day. Maybe it's the years I spent in radio when we looked forward to covering Phil's prognostication because, let's face it, it gets kinda boring between New Year's and, well, summer.
Which is exactly how many people in Punxsutawney explain Groundhog Day in this sleepy little hamlet. It's a way to celebrate life, community and winter when there really isn't any other reason to get up off the Barca-lounger.
To those that only know it from the coverage you see on TV or the webcast...I gotta tell you, you've only seen a sliver of the Punxsutawney experience. And that's why you need to make the pilgrimage to mecca before you depart terra firma.
Yes, the jaded one is, today, a True Believer, an Unabashed Fan and a Raging Thunder-Lizard Evangelist.
With apologies to Heather Flanagan (People Geek TV), who recommended this blog because the posts were usually short, this one is gonna be a doozy.
I rolled into Punxy around 3pm on Groundhog Eve. The streets were beginning to fill as the sun began to set. The Chamber of Commerce was buzzing with members of the Inner Circle greeting visitors at the Welcome Center and Gift Shop. Lots of pictures. A couple of Inner Circle groupies.
Chamber Exec Marlene Lellock invited me to join her at the Media Mixer at the Indiana University of Punxsutawney's Acadamy of Culinary Arts. You don't need to be media to go and meet the students, sample incredible epicurean treats and watch the media from around the world interview the Inner Circle, residents...and even visitors.
Then, it's off to the Groundhog Banquet where Punxy's movers and shakers get together, dress up a little and enjoy an almost non-stop laugh-fest of jokes, awards and stories. Guests are very welcome (and become the focal point for some of the fun)...but get your tickets early.
It's 9:30pm. You know you have a wake-up call at 4 (or earlier). What to do? Make a beeline for the Pantall Hotel Bar. The mix is 70-30 college kids (who have streamed into Punxsutawney from all over the Midwest) to locals (including many from the banquet.) The band is rocking, the crowd is electric and, every time a member of the Inner Circle walks through the front door, the kids go nuts, cheering, hooting and treating them like they are rock gods.
Which, for 24 hours each year, they are.
By midnight, some of the action shifts to the Army-Navy Club. Some go to watch a screening of "Groundhog Day." Others (that couldn't get hotel rooms within 30 miles) crash at the community center for $5/pop (which sure beats the Pantall's $250/night).
The gates to Gobbler's Knob open at 3am. If you want to assure yourself an up-front position...that's pretty much when you need to go. Buses line-up throughout downtown to transport you up to the Knob...or, the adventuresome (and fit) can make the 30-minute trek uphill on foot.
If getting a Bob Uecker position for the festivities isn't critical, my recommendation is to catch a 4:30-ish bus so that you're on the Knob by no later than 5.
But, that's still 2 hours before things start to really get rolling, I hear you whine? Au contraire, mon amie. The stage surrounding Phil's stump is in full-out rock mode with the sound system thumping out dance and oldies favorites, a local dance troupe providing eye-candy and some 20 beach balls being bounced through the crowd. Members of the Inner Circle exhort the crowd to get nuts, preside over trivia contests, introduce students from all over the world (listen to the audio) and generally keep smiles plastered and toes tapping.
Then...the surreal moment arrives. No, not Phil. Before the sun even hints at an appearance, we're treated to a 15-minute fireworks display. And, not one of those cheesy small town bottle-rocket affairs. This rivals any display I've seen, except for the major metro extravaganzas.
And, standing there in 17 degree weather, as the snowflakes kiss my upturned cheeks, there's something oddly cool about knowing that you're watching fireworks...in the morning.
Then it's back to the stage, where the impeccable sound-track kicks it up a notch. KC & the Sunshine Band. The Village People (featuring all of the state's TV weather forecasters on stage leading the crowd in "YMCA"). The younger members of the Inner Circle are prowling the stage like Mick Jagger, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. It's a rock concert gone amok. When the B-52's "Love Shack" starts to play, I momentarily think the song out of place. Then I realize what's about to happen, as everyone on stage converges on Phil's stump:
Bang bang bang, on the door baby! (Knock a little louder sugar!)
Bang bang bang, on the door baby! (I can't hear you!)
Bang bang (on the door baby)
12,000 people are bouncing and beaming. All is right with the world. And we're freezing our asses off!
Then, the rest of the Inner Circle appears on stage and the rock concert atmosphere is rapidly replaced by a weirdly reverent apprehension of what Phil will see.
That's what you see on TV. The Inner Circle holding up a startled groundhog that just wants to go back to sleep.
What you get at Gobbler's Knob is waaaay more.
Then, it's back downtown...where there is an almost audible hum. The stores are packed with souvenir shoppers, the eateries are doing land-office business and streets are full of people sporting painted cheeks, groundhog hats and broad smiles.
By noon, it's pretty much over, but the great hometown-style events for families continue through the day. And, it won't be until mid-afternoon before you can walk into the Welcome Center Gift Shop and not feel like a sardine.
It's Americana at its absolute finest.
Go.
This post is too long for me to read. What does it say? ;)
Heather
Posted by: Heather Flanagan | February 05, 2007 at 13:46