Groundhog Love!
He's the oldest living weather forecaster. Not bad for a groundhog.
For over 120 years on February 2nd in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the furry "seer of seers and prognosticator
of prognosticators" has emerged from hibernating in his underground burrow to predict if the end of winter is in sight.
The legend goes that if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, then spring is
right around the corner.
People travel from all over the world to watch the sunrise ceremony and be part of the day's festivities. We spoke with some of
our customers in "Punxsy" to find out what makes Groundhog Day so special and asked them to share a few recipes as well.
Happy Groundhog Day!
Elaine Light
The holidays are the perfect time to get together with family and friends to celebrate this joyous season.
We've been in touch with a few old friends from previous issues and asked them to share some of their
favorite holiday recipes here. So pull up a chair, sit down and enjoy.
Almost 60 years ago, Elaine Light worked as a reporter for the Associated Press and went to cover the Groundhog Day ceremony
in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Little did she know that it would be a turning point in her personal and professional life.
"I was sent to Punxsutawney in 1950 to cover the story and I met their most eligible bachelor, Sam Light," says Elaine at 86 years young. "We had our first date in May, we were engaged in June and married in September. So I went to live in Punxsutawney.
"At that time it was a town of about 7,500-8,000 people. There was really nothing there except the legend of Groundhog Day. Two years after I was married, my husband became president of the Groundhog Club and served in that role for 26 years. He invented the costume - top hats and tails - that members of the Inner Circle wear when they go to Gobbler's Knob to watch Phil the groundhog come out of hibernation."
The mother of two grown daughters, Meredith and Melanie, Elaine is also known locally as the "Mother of the Groundhogs" and for good reason. She has compiled two recipe collections from people around town titled Cooking with Groundhogs and Gourmets and Groundhogs. She shares her mouthwatering Spicy Groundhog Cookies recipe with Penzeys readers.
"To keep these cookies crispy, don't use any extra flour. Roll out on sheets of wax paper and make sure the dough is well chilled before cutting out the cookies," she advises. Like many of the residents of Punxsutawney, Elaine shapes her cookies into whimsical groundhogs using a cookie cutter that captures the flavor of the town's special day.
"Naturally, people wanted to see groundhogs when they came to Punxsutawney," Elaine continues. "I was chairman of the planning and zoning commission and then an architecture committee that put up a new civic complex - a Groundhog Zoo. It was built into a portion of the children's library with a window that fronted to Barclay Square, the local park."
It's the perfect place for Phil and his "wife" Phyllis to spend their days basking in the public eye in climate-controlled comfort - when he's not fulfilling his once-a-year duty as "weatherman," that is!