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By Julie BrankenGreetings
to fellow Phil followers. Since the idea of "The
Outer Circle” came about because there is an “
BIG, NEW News! In the summer of 2007, my son-in-law was given the prestigious honor of being chosen as one of the two new members of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. We are so very proud of him! Dr. David Gigliotti is a well-loved chiropractor in Punxsutawney. He grew up here and has had a long time desire to be in the Inner Circle. He is married to my daughter, Carla, and they have given me four delightful grandchildren. Dr. Dave is now known as "Thunder Conductor" since his principal service to our famous Groundhog will be to generate audience enthusiasm from the stage on Feb. 2nd. He is planning to psyche up a groundhog frenzy of excitement, and we know he will do a brilliant job with his sparkling personality. The thunderous applause when Punxsutawney Phil comes forth to give his prediction will be unprecedented. He is preparing for his first Groundhog Day in 2008 as the "Thunder Conductor."
Big Flake Maker is a prominent businessman in Punxsutawney who owns Johnston Furniture on North Findley Street. When we talked to Mike, he had some wonderful stories to tell us since he has been a member of the Inner Circle for many years. I'll share my favorite story with you: Every September The Groundhog Club has an annual Groundhog picnic. During the festivities, Phil is given a sip of Groundhog Nog. Upon sipping this special nog, Phil's life span is extended another 7 years for each sip. Phil is currently 116 years old, or perhaps older, as his age was uncertain at the time when he first made his appearance. But good old Phil has been prognosticating the weather for the last 116 years. Of course, we
asked Mike if we could have the Groundhog nog recipe so that we too may
extend our lives by 7 years, every year. He informed us that it was the
President's and it is only given to him when he holds his Acacia (known as
the Toby tree) wood cane. If anyone else picks up the cane, they will not be
given the secret recipe. The current President of the
For those of
you who don't know about the legend of Groundhog Day, here's the
Borrowing from an ancient European legend, “For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, So far will the snow swirl till May,” the seed for the now world famous February 2nd celebration was planted in 1886 when Groundhog Day was first recognized in Punxsutawney, PA. In the autumn
of 1899 a half dozen
The rest is
history. Punxsutawney Phil has seen the country through five wars, journeyed
to the moon, visited the White House and starred in his own major motion
picture. Yet, in spite of his accomplishments, the century-old Groundhog
continues to delight millions with his mystique and charm and shadow casting
magic each February 2nd in
Photo of Mike Johnston courtesy of the Inner Circle and www.groundhog.org. |
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