Another Groundhog Day in the books
PUNXSUTAWNEY — It seems like just the other day that it was Christmas and now we can say the same thing about Groundhog Day here in the Weather Capital of the World.
Tom Dunkel, Groundhog Club Inner Circle president, said that this was one of the biggest Thursday crowds they’ve ever seen.
“This year was very successful and everything went off without a hitch,” Dunkel said, adding that the crowd was full of energy and had a great time.
He said they haven’t come to a number as of yet.
“I can say the amphitheater was full up to the woods and towards the road,” Dunkel said.
He thanked the volunteers who made it possible.
“They help with all of our smaller events. It was one of our best years for volunteers; it just seemed like the community pulled together to make this year’s Groundhog Day a great event,” he said.
He added that it was exciting to have Gov. Josh Shapiro in attendance at Gobbler’s Knob.
“I knew he was coming, but I wasn’t allowed to say anything about it,” Dunkel said.
“He did a great job; his comments were super for Punxsutawney and our community.”
Dunkel said that hopefully they receive some monetary help from the state to reach some of the goals that the Groundhog Club has over the next several years.”
“The governor came and stayed the whole time, and he brought two of his children with him; one his daughters goes to the University of Pittsburgh and she brought a friend and they had the best time and loved every bit of it and they were so pleased to be a part of it,” he said.
He said Shapiro was the second governor to attend, as Ed Rendell came to Gobbler’s Knob in 2003.
“We had a lot of dignitaries from the state, including Rep. Brian Smith and state Sen. Joe Pittman,” Dunkel said, adding that there were a lot of Jefferson County officials there as well.
Dunkel said he thinks Gobbler’s Knob is becoming a great destination for people coming to Groundhog Day.
He said moving the souvenirs into the larger banquet hall worked so much better.
“We got people out of the cold and let people actually shop; what prevented us from doing that was that we needed a
second door for them to exit the room and we put one in during the summer located by the kitchen,” Dunkel said, adding that Punxsutawney Area Hospital had its triage in there, separated by a curtain.
He said having the media located above the office on the second floor was well received as well.
Dunkel said overall it was a great year, and the Groundhog Club has even more ideas and surprises for everyone for next year.
He thanked the chamber for hosting Groundhog Day in the Park in Barclay Square again this year.