Willow Springs has missed a lot of school lately. Winter weather seems to have targeted the southern Midwest and has made itself comfortable for the long haul. All of this snow may be a surprise to us, but you can bet that it comes as no surprise to one Pennsylvania resident; you know him as Phil. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on February 2^nd, meaning that we can expect up to six more weeks of winter.  Even skeptics of Phil’s abilities in weather forecasting have to agree; if he’s ever wrong, this year doesn’t look like he will be. With snowstorms hammering the north-eastern Atlantic coast, and the Midwest experiencing some interesting weather of it’s own, a lot of attention has been given to any source that can explain what’s going on.  The groundhog may have the answer.

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania held its first Groundhog Day in the late 1800’s with the first trek of Punxsutawney residents to a local mountain called Gobblers Knob.  The official date is said to be February 2^nd, 1887. The celebration of Groundhog’s Day began with Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers. The settlers brought with them the legend of Candleman’s Day which states “For the as the sun shines on Candleman’s Day, so far will the snow swirl in May.”  In other words, if you can see your shadow, expect some cold weather for some time.

Hopefully though, the weather will move out before May, or Willow Springs will be shoveling its way to Graduation.

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