"The groundwork has been laid for a sunrise ceremony Monday when international woodchuck celebrity Punxsutawney Phil's annual long-term weather forecast will be announced - six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Tens of thousands of revelers will be descending on Gobbler's Knob in rural Pennsylvania to witness this year's prognostication, which will be made after groundhog Phil gets brought to the stage from his hatch on a tree stump."
"Groundhogs are generally solitary creatures that emerge in midwinter to find a mate. 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. This is the first Groundhog Day for Phil's new "zoo" at Gobbler's Knob, where he splits time when he's not inside his longstanding home beside the town library."
Punxsutawney Phil will make a long-term weather forecast at a sunrise Groundhog Day ceremony at Gobbler's Knob, predicting either six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Tens of thousands travel to witness Phil carried from his hatch to the stage on a tree stump. Handlers interpret Phil's winks, purrs, chatters and nods in 'groundhogese' to craft the prediction. Groundhogs typically emerge in midwinter to find mates, and seeing a shadow is said to mean more winter. Phil now splits time between a new 'zoo' at Gobbler's Knob and a longtime home by the town library. The holiday's popularity grew after the 1993 Bill Murray film, and alcohol was later banned at the site following previous incidents.
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