Originally published April 1, 2007 in Successful Meetings.
Michele Neal is the only planner in the world whose VIP is a giant squirrel.
It's true: The groundhog, a.k.a. Marmota monax, is the biggest member of the squirrel family. And Punxsutawney Phil, the weather-predicting rodent made more famous by the movie Groundhog Day, is the biggest of them all: Thousands flood tiny Punxsutawney, PA, every February 2 to watch him emerge from his custom-built, climate-controlled stump and forecast either more winter or an early spring.
Neal doesn't even deal with Phil directly. She goes through the members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle, local business leaders who have been carrying on the Groundhog Day tradition for 121 years. They take care of Phil and Gobbler's Knob (the park where he lives), clearing snow, laying down straw, and setting up the bonfire and fireworks that start the night before Phil comes out of his hole.
As events coordinator for the chamber of commerce, Neal is in charge of keeping Phil's fans happy while they're in town. She arranges for garbage pickup, Porta Potties, food and craft vendors, wood and ice sculptors (who carve giant groundhogs, of course), storytellers, magicians, and other amusement, of which there's never enough: "When I started this job, events closed at eight p.m.," she recalls. "This year was the first time we had events going on all nightwhich we need, because some people get to Gobbler's Knob at three a.m. and wait four hours for Phil."
Shadow of a Doubt
The event isn't just a publicity stunt. Punxsutawney was settled by Germans, who brought with them the folk belief that a cloudy day (i.e., no shadow) in midwinter means an early spring, and that hibernating animals' behavior can forecast the weather. This year the town unveiled a new Weather Center (housed in a converted post office), where groups of up to 25 can view exhibits dedicated to the science and folklore of weather.
Of folklore, there's plenty: Locals insist, for instance, that Phil's predictions are 100-percent accurate. Explains Neal: "They're not site-specific, so it's always a late winter or early spring somewhere." You get a similarly exaggerated response if you ask how old Phil is. "At least 121," Neal deadpans (officially, there has been one groundhog since the event began). "Every year at the Groundhog Club picnic, Phil receives the elixir of life, a special punch that lets him live another seven years."
Foul-Weather Friend
The same isn't true of Neal's predecessors, none of whom lasted more than two years. She's been there for more than threeever since she walked into the chamber of commerce to ask a question and walked out with a new job.
Why has she lasted? "I'm stubborn, I guess," she shrugs. "No, it's that I get to meet so many interesting people, and I love that. Though I could do with a little more sleep!"
Groundhog Day
Attendance: 15,000
Punxsy's population: 7,500
Number of hotel rooms: 87 (people stay as far as 95 miles away)
Phil's weight: 20 pounds
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