This Famous Groundhog Has An ‘Inner Circle’ Of Followers And They’re Honestly Crazy
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, may be the only place on earth where once a year a rodent is transformed into a makeshift meteorologist.
On February 2, people all across the U.S. and parts of Canada anxiously awake to see whether or not Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow. This annual tradition is derived from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter and if it does not, there will be an early spring.
With that said, Punxsutawney Phil is likely the world’s most famous groundhog in all of history, and just like any other celebrity, he has his own inner circle that makes sure he’s living the best life possible. But these people are honestly kind of nuts.
While Phil and his groundhog bride Phyllis spend most of their days in their own little zoo at the town library, on Groundhog Day, his Inner Circle members make sure everything about the big event goes off without a hitch.
John Griffiths has been a member of Phil’s Inner Circle for more than 20 years and his duties make him sound more like a personal assistant than anything else. Griffiths cuts up fresh veggies to ensure Phil is eating a healthy, balanced diet, and he is also responsible with handling the fuzzy meteorologist on his big day.
The Inner Circle’s newest member A.J. Dereume swears that while there are many pretenders out there, Phil is the only real weather-predicting groundhog in the world. Okay, buddy.
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If you’ve ever watched the celebration on tv, you might notice the formalwear donned by all the members of the Inner Circle. But keeping up appearances has nothing to do with looking presentable. Instead, it is said to be a way to honor and pay tribute to Phil’s stature. Some members of the Inner Circle even consider him to be the king of the animal kingdom.
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