By Jamie Sheffield, aka NFA
It is the day that the Groundhog comes out of his hole after a long winter sleep to look for his shadow. If he sees it, he regards it as an omen of six more weeks of bad weather and returns to his hole. If the day is cloudy and thus without shadow, he takes it as a sign of a coming spring and stays above ground.
The Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper is credited with printing the news of the first observance in 1886 (one year before the first legendary trek to Gobbler's Knob. "Today is groundhog day, and up to the time of going to press the beast has not seen his shadow."
Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog, is the sole resident of a "Zoo" maintained by the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club; he rests all year in anticipation of his yearly duty on February 2. Phil's forecasts are not made in advance by the Inner Circle (a subset of the Groundhog Club, who dress is tie and tails and top hats); after Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese"(a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is translated for the rest of the world, and then delivered.