Here on the blog, I've done so many posts about it that it has earned its own label. (Consider visiting some of my old posts for that authentic 'Groundhog Day' deja vu experience! I've also featured so many vintage groundhog postcards that it's a challenge to find a new one each year.
Anyway, I like to see how the holiday played out in the Lorain Journal over the years. Sometimes the paper ignored it, other years it's front page news.
Groundhog Day 1934 included this great front page photo.
"So far as Lorain is concerned, there were no shadows, the sun being covered by thick clouds throughout the day."
Ten years later on Groundhog Day 1944, the Lorain Journal gave Phil's wartime forecast front page coverage.
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| An official Punxsutawney Phil postcard portrait |
5 comments:
I wonder when he became known as "Phil." I note he is almost never called by that name in the old news reports.
Buster...
I have a subscription to NewspapareArchive.com. A search of its content from 16,142 publications from over 3,464 cities from all over the world shows the phrase "Punxsutawney Phil" first showing up on Groundhog Day 1961 in articles all over the U.S.
"Punxsutawney Phil was named after "King Phillip," the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club states online — without further elaboration. Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br'er Groundhog, according to the club."
I was watching Betsy Kling from WKYC Channel 3 Cleveland and she doesn't really dig the whole Groundhog Day tradition as Punxsutaney Phil has only been correct 3 out of the last 10 years.
Don - Thanks for the information! "King Phillip?" I thought Pennsylvania considered itself a commonwealth, not a monarchy.
Phil’s right about 40% of the time.
A Commonwealth, for sure, but still one of the original colonies!
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