GROUNDHOG DAY The famous groundhog comes out of his hole at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania every Feb. 2 to make a weather prediction. Though he is only right 39 percent of the time, Phil has only predicted an early spring 18 times since 1886. Groundhog Day actually grew out of an early Christian holiday called Candlemas, where the church would bless candles to bring blessings for the remaining winter. The tradition was brought to Germany where the Germans concluded that if the sun appeared on Candlemas Day, the hedgehog would cast a shadow indicating the “Second Winter.” When the Germans settled in Pennsylvania, they brought the tradition with them. However, finding more groundhogs than hedgehogs, and noting the similarities between the two animals, the weather predicting responsibility moved to the groundhog. The first official Groundhog Day was in 1886. Today, more than 20,000 people travel to Punxsutawney to participate in the three-day Groundhog Festival...