It’s Groundhog Day: ‘Phil’ sees his shadow, ‘George’ the Fort FFA Guinea pig does not

By Kim McDarison

It might just be another reason to live in Wisconsin, and like the popular 1993 movie “Groundhog Day,” circumstances are on repeat. 

Early this morning and for the second year running, while “Punxsutawney Phil,” the official furry harbinger of winter’s end saw his shadow and predicted nationally six more weeks of winter, “George,” the Fort Atkinson FFA Guinea pig, did not, predicting, at least in Fort Atkinson, Wis., an early spring. 

While Phil and George have, for the last two years, disagreed about when winter will end, they do have something in common: although in different states, they both make their predictions in a Jefferson County. 

In Pennsylvania, for the handlers, inner circle and fans of the prevailing Punxsutawney Phil, this year marks the 137th celebration of Groundhog Day at Gobbler’s Knob, the spot where Phil makes his debut from underneath a ceremonial tree stump. During the rest of the year, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club website, he lives in a local zoo.  

While Punxsutawney is the borough most associated with the national Groundhog Day event, the prediction site of Gobbler’s Knob, is located in the small nearby community of Young Township, with a population, as of the 2020 census, of 1,713. 

This year, Phil’s handlers, after assembling with the furry dignitary’s inner circle at dawn, brought forth the creature and official declared Phil’s sighting of his shadow. 

Meanwhile, at 8 a.m. on the steps of the Fort Atkinson Municipal Building, a small crowd of well-wishers and the impromptu Fort Atkinson Groundhog Day committee, including Fort Atkinson City Manager Rebecca Houseman LeMire, School District of Fort Atkinson Superintendent Rob Abbott and school district Director of Communications Marissa Weidenfeller, once again engaged the help of George the FFA Guinea pig, to help localize the prediction. 

George was, once again, accompanied during his visit to city hall by “Fred,” a Guinea pig who lives with him in the FFA lab at the Fort Atkinson High School. 

The animals, snugly wrapped in blankets, traveled in their ceremonial crate to the annual location in downtown Fort Atkinson. This year, they arrived with handlers Kendra Pfaff and Lauren Hebbe, both Fort Atkinson High School sophomores and FFA members. 

The handlers arrived early at city hall to give the special meteorologist in their care a chance to acclimate before meeting with members of the committee and LeMire, who, this year and once again, was given the honor of lifting George into the atmosphere to make his prediction. 

George’s handlers noted that he had undergone surgery to remove a tumor in January, but was given the go-ahead by his veterinarian to participate in the morning’s activity. George is 8 years old, and has lived at the FFA lab within the high school’s agricultural department for three years, his handlers confirmed.  

After the morning’s ceremony and the prediction of an early spring, LeMire spoke highly of George’s professionalism and their weather-predicting partnership.  

“He understood his job to not see his shadow and he did not see his shadow,” LeMire said. 

When asked about the possibility that George’s prediction might once again not match the prediction made by Phil, LeMire said she stood behind George and his ability to look forward to spring. 

Before joining Fred in the ceremonial crate for the return trip to the high school, George greeted his fans and posed for photographs. 

Fans gathering at city hall thanked George, Fred, their handlers and the committee for making the visit to city hall, and their ongoing commitment to helping the residents of Fort Atkinson prepare for winter’s end.