THE ONLY GROUNDHOG THAT MATTERS

There is only one groundhog, and he has been looking for his shadow since 1887.
I’m aware that my pals who await the annual verdict from Staten Island Chuck, Holtsville Hal and Malverne Mel may disagree. Too bad. This one’s mine.
Unnamed and uncelebrated groundhogs have apparently been popping out of their holes in early February for thousands of years. Sometime in the Dark Ages, early Christians grafted the tradition of nursing candles through the winter to watching small rodents as a possible sign of spring.
No judging. I’ll do anything for a sign of spring right now – and I have central heat, a coffeemaker, and a good streaming service!
Eventually, the tradition arrived in Western Pennsylvania along with German settlers, who decided that the local woodchucks were the ideal rodent for the purpose. Fast forward a bit, and we find the enterprising town fathers of Punxsutawney looking at the little fuzzballs and realizing that this was a great way to get some attention for the town – and maybe make a buck.
So, in 1887, a newspaper editor and his pals proclaimed that “Punxsutawney Phil” was the One True Forecaster. Over the years, they kept the top hats and the over-the-top language – and added a lot of events and festivities to bring tourists and their lovely money to town.
By the time I was growing up a few miles away in Brookville, that darn groundhog was the area’s principal claim to fame. And the annual celebration had turned into a flat-out bacchanalia.
As a kid, I didn’t really believe my mother’s stories about the crazy groundhog fans who showed up at the Senior Center Pancake Breakfast, a huge annual fundraiser. I figured Mom just liked to tell a good story, like we do back home.
And then I went to Gobbler’s Knob myself.
Trying to hustle my way into a real radio job, I took a tape recorder and covered the event. Which is when I learned that Mom had actually underplayed it.
Let’s just say that the groundhog and I were the only ones who were sober that year.
Before the Punxsutawney Chamber of Commerce – or the groundhog people – come after me, this was a very long time ago, and as far as I know, events are now much more family-friendly, and entirely alcohol-free. That said, the groundhog still inspires an impressive level of passion, not to mention local pride.
There’s a reason for that. Staten Island and Long Island both have a lot more to recommend them. That rodent is just about all we’ve got in Jefferson County.
As I’ve worked my way through newsrooms in Vermont, Connecticut, and New York, someone always asks me if it was anything like the movie GROUNDHOG DAY, and if the people are really that crazy about Phil.
No – and yes!
When I started writing my first contemporary mystery, I knew I wanted my main character to be a Western PA girl like me…but I also knew that I’d go all the way and make her from Punxsutawney. And so, when you meet Jaye Jordan in LIVE, LOCAL, AND DEAD, know that she’s a proud woodchuck.
Oh, and one more fun fact. The groundhogs who come out in February are the boys. They’re looking for the girls…but females are smart enough to stay inside where it’s warm! Darn right we are.

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