Punxsutawney Phil is a 120 year old groundhog. A groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, is a plant-eating member of the squirrel family known to infuriate farmers and drivers in rural areas. But Phil is seemingly no ordinary groundhog.
In 1723, the Delaware Indians settled in the Punxsutawney, PA area. Near Pittsburgh, this small town was named after the Indian word for sandflies that populated the area. In 1886 the Punxsutawney Spirit dubbed a particular groundhog "Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary. That first year, Phil did not see his shadow, signifying early spring.
Each year since, a groundhog called Punxsutawney Phil (the original Phil died over a century ago of course) is closely observed on Gobblers Knob so that journalists and hobbyists all over the country can report the next six weeks of weather.
There are other cities that have similar Groundhog Day mascots. For instance, Wiarton Willie is Canadas answer to Punxsutawney Phil. In 1956, Mac McKenzie held a Groundhog Day party just for fun. The party was visited by a Toronto reporter who was dismayed to find that he did not have much of a story to report. So Willie grabbed his wifes fur hat, burrowed into the snow, and came out with a prognostication. No one remembers what the prediction was, but a picture of Willie became a famous image in the newspaper. Brandon Bob, Grundoon, Muldoon, and Sand Dune, Balzac Billie, Staten Island Chuck, Gary the Groundhog, Shubenacadie Sam, and other groundhogs are observed in other cities around North America. Punxsutawneys tourism board insists that these other groundhogs are imposters.
Mimi Rothschild
Original source: http://www.articlesbase.com/homeschooling-articles/homeschooling-groundhog-day-who-is-punxsutawney-phil-141222.html
