Groundhog Zoo: Home of Punxsutawney Phil

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania

America's foremost weather forecasting groundhog, a rock superstar in meteorological circles, officially works one day a year: February 2nd. The other 364 days he spends in " Groundhog Zoo," a warm terrarium built into the Punxsutawney library. The wall that faces the outside is made of glass, so visitors can pay their respects at any time.

When we visited late in the summer season, Phil was a chubby, snoring heap, sprawled upside down against the glass. This fat-and-happy celebrity was probably not even dreaming about his public appearance five months hence….

The library is on Barclay Square, where statues of Punxsutawney Phil are exhibited in fiberglass, carved in wood, and cast in bronze. To us, they all seemed more dynamic than the real Phil. At first we feared that his furry, prone form was dead.

But then Phil opened one eye, looked us over, yawned, stretched, and went back to sleep. Just saving up his energy for the big day.