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The popularity of the movie Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie McDowell, sparked a new interest in the holiday of the same name. Prior to the movie release in 1993, crowds generally topped 2,000 people. Since the release of the movie, crowds have been growing by leaps and bounds every year.
In 1996, the crowd was estimated to be as high as 30,000 people strong! The 1998 crowd was also surprisingly large considering that the holiday fell on a weekday. Punxsutawney Phil followers are a wild bunch -- some sport painted faces, some women wear bikinis and men bear their chests, and many bring signs to let the world know how far they've traveled to get to Gobbler's Knob!