Blog

Over the past few weeks we've hoped we were nice enough to receive a visit from Old Saint Nick, said farewell to Father Time, and greeted the New Year. A hectic time of the year for anyone to be certain. Now it is time to take a well-deserved break... unless, of course, you live in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. For now begins the earnest buildup to Groundhog Day!

This year the most heralded and revered holiday to fall on February 2nd, Groundhog Day falls on a weekend again. What does that matter you ask? Well, in the words of every warehouse furniture or mattress salesman, it means “Volume, Volume, Volume”! The town of Punxsutawney will see an influx of people on a monumental scale. It means more planning for busing and events on our part. Accommodating more people at the knob as efficiently as we can. Hopefully, it will translate into increased sales for our local businesses as you purchase a memento of your visit to take home with you. We strive every day to make this a memorable and enjoyable event in every attendee's life.

However, all good is usually accompanied by pitfalls. No, not for the residents of Punxsutawney or The Inner Circle or most of all Punxsutawney Phil. The prognostication will happen regardless with the same amount of childlike enthusiasm we muster every year. Sadly, the pitfall may find it's way to you, our cherished attendees.

I can almost sense you asking “John, what is this pitfall of which you speak ”? Well, there really is only one and I fear for some of you it may already be too late. Apathy! You sit back thinking that there is no need to be in a rush to book a room, purchase tickets to the annual banquet, Breakfast with Phil, Dueling Pianos, the Hogspitality Tent as well as many others. For some of those things, I fear the ship has already sailed. All of those things, plus so many others, are as much a part of Groundhog Day as is Phil's Prognostication. So, if it were me I would click out of this hastily written, rather inane post and focus on getting your plans made to visit on Groundhog Day with the intent of experiencing as much as is offered. Think of it as a competition between you and potentially 40,000 other people.

I hate to sound foreboding so I will end with this. Even if you make it to Punxsutawney and don't get to experience everything that the magic of Groundhog Day has to offer, you will still be greeted and said farewell to by some of the nicest people on God's green (or snow covered) earth.

I look forward to meeting each and every one of you!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!