Groundhog Day arrives early in State College as Punxsutawney Phil visit attracts hundreds
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- Hundreds queued outside The Press Cider in State College to meet Punxsutawney Phil.
- Punxsutawney Groundhog Club president carried Phil and posed for photos.
- Visitors from locals to students waited hours; event highlighted folklore tourism.
Hundreds of people lined up outside The Press Cider and Craft Beverage Tap House Saturday afternoon, some waiting in the cold for hours, to see a celebrity like none other in Pennsylvania — Punxsutawney Phil.
Phil, the internationally famous groundhog from Punxsutawney, is tasked each Feb. 2 with predicting whether there will be an early spring or six more weeks of winter, depending on if he sees his shadow. Groundhog Day is also a renowned attraction, drawing thousands each year to Gobbler’s Knob.
But instead of making that Feb. 2 trek, students, families and community members wrapped around Hiester Street and East College Avenue on Saturday and patiently waited to meet and take photos with the groundhog.
“I think it’s a bucket list item for a lot of people, certainly a lot of Pennsylvanians, to go to Groundhog Day,” State College resident Amansa Holyk, 34, said.
Holyk and her friend Michael Rohrbeck, 30, said they waited for about two hours to meet Phil. She said they also wanted to try The Press Cider and Craft Beverage Tap House, which just opened in the fall, and this was a way to “knock out two birds with one stone.”
Rohrbeck said he was “shocked” about the turnout and wasn’t expecting the amount of people that were so enthusiastic about meeting Phil.
“From kids, to college kids, to locals, I mean, Phil has an appeal to everybody, it seems. So it’s really awesome,” Rohrbeck said.
The Press’ four co-owners are all originally from Punxsutawney, and one of the co-owner’s sisters belongs to the top hat-wearing club, who are responsible for carrying on the Groundhog Day tradition each year. When one co-owner raised the idea of bringing Phil to State College, the others immediately jumped on board, co-owner Kory Blose previously told the CDT.
Other members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club were at The Press on Saturday, dressed in their traditional attire of a top hat and suit. That included club president Tom Dunkel, who proudly carried Phil as people stood next to him and took photos.
He said that he expected the turnout and was not surprised by the consistent swarms of people inside the taphouse, where the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” was playing.
“It’s so much fun to be a part of the people that are coming to Groundhog Day, because they are so happy,” Dunkel said. “Phil coming out and making this connection, just gives you goose bumps to be a part of it.”
Molly Jacobson and her husband, both California residents who are traveling on a sabbatical, said that seeing Phil was something she wanted to accomplish during her time in Pennsylvania.
“We were thinking about going to Punxsutawney to see him, but since he came to State College, we figured we should see him here,” she said.
Butch Phillber, also known as “Iceman,” handed out “Phil tokens” to those waiting in line and took pictures with those who requested them.
As the “historian” and oldest member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Phillber said it was important to acknowledge the history of Groundhog Day, which stems from German immigrants who brought their folklore to Pennsylvania.
“Phil is loved worldwide. And any time we do an event, it brings out people who just want to put a smile on your face,” Phillber said.
Those eager for Phil’s spring weather prediction can join him on Gobbler’s Knob on Feb. 2, or watch the official livestream of his prediction at www.visitpa.com/live-stream-phils-prediction/.
This story was originally published January 17, 2026 at 8:39 PM.