Forget Punxsutawney Phil. To predict the end of winter weather, D.C. is relying on its own groundhog from now on — the famous Pennsylvanian’s brother, Potomac Phil. But perhaps “Taxidermy Phil” is more apt name for what was sprung on the crowd Thursday in Dupont Circle. At the District’s first Groundhog Day celebration, the Potomac woodchuck stood suspiciously still. Turns out real groundhogs in the wild are hibernating this time of year, making them very hard to come by. So organizers of the D.C. event substituted a dead, stuffed version of the mammal.
And instead of using the groundhog’s shadow to predict the District’s future weather, Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans and the Dupont Festival organizers gathered around the stiff creature in black top hats to “listen” for his forecast.
Get ready for six more weeks of winter, Evans announced to a crowd of about 100, echoing Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction earlier in the morning, farther north. He then proclaimed the day “D.C. Groundhog Day” according to a resolution passed unanimously by the city council.
“Whereas District of Columbia residents will be enlightened with the knowledge of Potomac Phil’s internal power of weather prediction,” Evans announced.
Aaron DeNu, a founder of Dupont Festival, which organized the groundhog fest, said he asked the National Zoo for a live one. The closest animal it could offer was a prairie dog, he said. When 8:30 a.m. rolled around and no one had stepped forward with a live groundhog, he opted for the next best thing, the stuffed one donated by Miss Pixie’s Furnishings and Whatnot in D.C.
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With free groundhog cookies and hot chocolate, children in attendance from nearby Ross Elementary School didn’t seem to mind that the furry animal’s nose was less than twitchy. DeNu even brought a groundhog puppet to entertainment them.
Hopefully they’ll have a more flexible groundhog next year, he said.
“We’re actually thinking about bringing this one back to life for next year,” DeNu joked.
