Shadowbinders is created in Punxsutawney, PA, but the title did not come from the famous Groundhog’s Day tradition.
Since we’re from Punxsutawney ,we have to promote our friend Phil and the tradition our town is known for.
Groundhog’s Day is celebrated on February 2nd. The tradition states that if Phil sees his shadow there is 6 more weeks of winter, but if he doesn’t see his shadow there will be an early spring.
Here are some interesting facts about Punxsutawney Phil and Punxsutawney…
- He lives in the library. Phil likes books! Seriously, his habitat is in the Punxsutawney Memorial Library (which incidentally has a copy of Shadowbinders.) You can learn more about the library here.
- Groundhog Day started long ago with the German settlers. They celebrated “Candlemass Day”, which used hedgehogs to determine the weather. Since there weren’t any hedgehogs around here, they substituted them with groundhogs.
- Punxsutawney was settled by the Delaware Indians in the 1700s. The name Punxsutawney “ponksad-uteney” which means “town of the sandflies.”
- Punxsutawney Phil looks for his shadow at Gobblers Knob. Tourists can take buses from various locations in town to view the ceremony.
- Punxsutawney has a Weather Discovery Center which hosts a bunch of great hands on exhibits and the Weather Center Hall of Fame. You can learn more about this here http://www.weatherdiscovery.org
- There are 32 large fiberglass Phil sculptures around town done by various artists. They are called the Phantastic Phils. You can find more about them here.
- The Groundhog Inner Circle have various “jobs” associated with the Groundhog Day festivities. You can find more information about them here.
- You can find a bunch of wonderful Groundhog Day and Groundhog related merchandise at the Punxsutawney Chamber Store. T-shirts, handmade items, hats, and more.
Finally, Groundhog Day even has its own “official” cookie — the Spicy Groundhog Cookie!
… and here’s the recipe!
“Spicy Groundhog” Groundhog Day Cookie Recipe
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup soft butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg yolk
1 egg, slightly beaten
Currants or raisins
Directions: Sift together first seven ingredients. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Blend in molasses and yolk. Stir in flour mixture and mix well. Form into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill overnight, several nights or freeze.
Place small amounts of dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, and cover with plastic wrap. Roll 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies with lightly floured cutter. Place cookies on greased baking sheet. Brush with slightly beaten egg. Decorate with currants or raisin eyes. Repeat until all dough is used. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven. Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet. Makes 72 or more medium-sized groundhogs.