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<\/p>\n‘I was born with the groundhog gene’: Punxsutawney Phil’s handler speaks with ‘4 The Record’<\/p>\n
Host Jill Szwed sat down with A.J. Dereume<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTODAY ON FOR THE RECORD, LOOKING AT TRADITION DATING BACK NEARLY 140 YEARS, JUST MUCH BIGGER AND LARGER, TOTALLY DIFFERENT OPERATION THESE DAYS. ON THIS GROUNDHOG DAY EVE, I TRAVEL TO PUNXSUTAWNEY JEFFERSON COUNTY TO INTERVIEW THE HANDLER OF THE WORLD\u2019S MOST FAMOUS GROUNDHOG. WE GET A LOT OF PHOTOS TAKEN WHEN PHIL\u2019S HANDLER. THAT PART\u2019S COOL IF YOU\u2019RE INTO THAT. BUT THERE\u2019S ALSO A LOT OF WORK AND A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES WITH IT. WHAT ARE YOU SAYING ABOUT THIS ANNUAL TRADITION? PHIL\u2019S PERSONALITY BEHIND THE SCENES, AND WHY BECOMING PHIL\u2019S HANDLER WAS SOMETHING HE SAYS WAS MEANT TO BE. I WAS BORN WITH THE GROUNDHOG, GENE, IF YOU WILL. FOR THE RECORD, STARTS RIGHT NOW. WELCOME TO. FOR THE RECORD, I\u2019M JILL SZWED. GROUNDHOG DAY IS LESS THAN 24 HOURS AWAY, AND THE ENTIRE WORLD IS WATCHING TO FIND OUT IF PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL WILL SEE HIS SHADOW. MEANING SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER OR NOT SEE IT SIGNALING SPRING IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. SO TODAY I\u2019M TRAVELING TO PUNXSUTAWNEY IN JEFFERSON COUNTY TO SPEAK WITH PHIL\u2019S HANDLER, THE MAN NICKNAMED THE RAINMAKER. HE\u2019S SHARING MORE ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE ANNUAL TRADITION UNFOLDING JUST ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF OUTSIDE OF PITTSBURGH. HOW DID YOU GET THE ESTEEMED POSITION OF BEING PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL HANDLER? WELL, THERE\u2019S A THERE\u2019S A LOT OF FAME. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, FORTUNE, I SUPPOSE. NOT FORTUNE, BUT YOU GET A LOT OF PHOTOS TAKEN WHEN YOU\u2019RE PHIL\u2019S HANDLER. THAT PART\u2019S COOL IF YOU\u2019RE INTO THAT. BUT THERE\u2019S ALSO A LOT OF WORK AND A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES WITH IT. SO I THINK WHEN THE TIME CAME THAT THE THE LAST HANDLER WAS RETIRING, YOU KNOW, HE KIND OF SAID, SOMEONE\u2019S GOTTA SOMEONE\u2019S GONNA HAVE TO DO THIS. AND I LOOKED AROUND THE ROOM AND I WAS LIKE, IF I DON\u2019T RAISE MY HAND, SOMEONE\u2019S GONNA GET THIS JOB, AND I REALLY WANT IT. AND I PUT MY HAND IN THE AIR AND I LOOKED AROUND AND I\u2019M LIKE, NO ONE ELSE IS TAKING IT, ALL RIGHT, IT\u2019S ME. YEAH. HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU BEEN PHIL SANDLER? I THINK THIS IS NINE. NINE. OKAY, WONDERFUL. TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND. WHAT IS YOUR ROOTS HERE IN PUNXSUTAWNEY? ARE YOU A NATIVE OR ARE YOU A TRANSPLANT? I\u2019M A NATIVE. I WAS BORN HERE AND I ACTUALLY NOT THE THE GROUNDHOG CLUB ISN\u2019T A LEGACY ORGANIZATION, BUT I AM A LEGACY MEMBER. MY GRANDFATHER WAS A MEMBER AND MY DAD WAS A MEMBER. SO I\u2019VE GOT LUCKY ENOUGH TO FOLLOW IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN YOUR FAMILY? TO HAVE SUCH A CLOSE TIE TO GROUNDHOG DAY AND PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL? I MEAN, IT\u2019S IT\u2019S ALWAYS BEEN VERY IMPORTANT TO US. I MEAN, THAT\u2019S PEOPLE SAY, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU BECOME A MEMBER OF THE GROUNDHOG? WELL, THAT WAS PART OF WHAT GOT ME IN WAS I WAS THERE, I WAS INVOLVED, I WAS, YOU KNOW, I HAD THE I WAS BORN WITH THE GROUNDHOG GENE, IF YOU WILL, AND AND SO YEAH, FOR OUR FAMILY, IT\u2019S JUST ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT WE\u2019VE BEEN SUCH A PART OF. AND IT\u2019S BEEN VERY IMPORTANT TO US. SO YEAH, IT\u2019S FUN AND A BIG DEAL. YEAH. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR EARLIEST MEMORIES OF GROUNDHOG DAY? WELL, YOU KNOW, MY MY ORIGINAL LIKE I LIKE MY FIRST GROUNDHOG DAY MEMORIES WOULD HAVE BEEN MY DAD BRINGING AS A NONMEMBER, BRINGING ME TO GROUNDHOG DAY TO WATCH MY GRANDPA GO UP ON STAGE. AND, YOU KNOW, BACK IN THOSE DAYS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE I WAS BORN IN 79. SO THAT HAD BEEN IN THE 80S. IT WAS. 1500 PEOPLE. AND I MEAN, I\u2019M NOT EVEN KIDDING. YOU\u2019D LOOK TO YOUR LEFT AND THERE\u2019D BE LIKE A TENT. AND YOU\u2019RE RIGHT, THERE\u2019D BE LIKE THREE EMPTY 30 PACKS OF BEER. AND IT\u2019S JUST A SMALL LITTLE THING. IT WAS. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT UP HERE AT 6:00 IN THE MORNING. PHIL CAME OUT AND SAW A SHADOW AT SUNRISE, WHICH MIGHT BE LIKE 715 ISH, AND MY DAD WOULD DROP ME OFF FOR SCHOOL. I WOULDN\u2019T EVEN BE LATE FOR SCHOOL. IT WAS. AND THEY\u2019D ALL GO TO WORK. LIKE GROUNDHOG DAY WAS JUST TOTALLY DIFFERENT BACK THEN. AND THAT WAS THEIR ONLY. WELL, THEY HAD TWO EVENTS BACK THEN, GROUNDHOG DAY AND THE GROUNDHOG PICNIC, WHICH IS IN THE FALL. OTHER THAN THAT, THERE WASN\u2019T MUCH GOING ON THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. NOW IT IS 365 DAYS A YEAR, TOTALLY DIFFERENT. IT\u2019S JUST MUCH BIGGER AND LARGER, TOTALLY DIFFERENT OPERATION THESE DAYS. I CAN ATTEST BEING AT THE PARTY THAT WAS HERE LAST YEAR, SO I\u2019M SURE IT\u2019S GOING TO BE EVEN BIGGER THIS YEAR AS WELL. YOU PROBABLY KNOW PHIL THE MOST OUT OF THE INNER CIRCLE. WHAT IS HIS PERSONALITY LIKE? IT FEELS A LITTLE MAYBE I\u2019D SAY LIKE CADDISH OR LIKE A, LIKE A HORSE WHERE HE HE IF HE IF HE\u2019S FAMILIAR WITH YOU AND YOU SEE HIM OFTEN AND HE RECOGNIZES YOU AS SOMEONE HE TRUSTS, HE IS PRETTY. PRETTY GOOD, YOU KNOW, PRETTY NICE. AND I MEAN, WHEN I WALK INTO PHIL\u2019S ZOO, HE WALKS RIGHT UP TO ME AND CRAWLS UP MY LEG, AND I\u2019LL GIVE HIM A PEANUT OR MAYBE A PIECE OF A BANANA OR SOMETHING, AND HE\u2019S HAPPY. AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LITTLE CHAT AND GO ON OUR GO OUR SEPARATE WAYS. BUT IF ONE OF THE OTHER GUYS, EVEN IF ONE OF THE OTHER GUYS WALKS IN THE ZOO WITH ME, HE CAN TELL SOMEONE ELSE IS IN THERE AND HE\u2019S A LOT MORE HESITANT TO WALK RIGHT UP TO YOU BECAUSE THERE\u2019S LIKE A ONE MAN DOG, YOU KNOW, HOW WAS HE WITH PHYLLIS? THEY PHIL\u2019S ALWAYS GOOD WITH PHYLLIS. SHE TOLERATES HIM SOMETIMES. AND SOMETIMES SHE\u2019S HAD ENOUGH OF HIS, YOU KNOW, HIS LATE NIGHTS MAYBE. I DON\u2019T KNOW, HE\u2019S BECAUSE HE GETS QUITE BUSY IN JANUARY LEADING UP INTO GROUNDHOG DAY. BUT YEAH, THEY GET ALONG PRETTY GOOD. THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE KIDS, SONNY AND SHADOW. THEY\u2019RE, I SUPPOSE, IN GROUNDHOG YEARS. THEY\u2019RE ADULTS NOW. SO NICE. YOU MENTIONED THAT THIS IS TURNED INTO A YEAR. ROUND, 365 DAY JOB AND REALLY AN INITIATIVE FOR THE INNER CIRCLE. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU AS PHIL\u2019S HANDLER? ARE YOU GOING OUT TO EVENTS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH ALL YEAR ROUND? WHAT KIND OF IS DOES THE YEAR CALENDAR LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? WE DO. WE\u2019RE I WOULD SAY I MEAN, WE\u2019RE ALWAYS AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. THERE\u2019S SOMETHING THAT PHIL HAS TO DO. SOME OF IT IS LIKE THAT. WE CHASE IT, BUT MOST OF IT IS JUST KIND OF HAPPENS BECAUSE WE\u2019RE WE ALL HAVE DAY JOBS TOO. BUT GROUNDHOG DAY IS, YOU KNOW, JUST ORGANICALLY EVOLVED INTO WHAT IT IS TODAY. SO LIKE I SAID, WE\u2019RE NOT REALLY CHASING IT, BUT IT\u2019S, YOU KNOW, OUR MAIN GOAL IS WE HAVE ONE LIKE WE HAVE A, YOU KNOW, AA1 MISSION. AND THAT\u2019S TO PERPETUATE THE LEGEND OF PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL. SO THE WAY WE LOOK AT IT, THAT\u2019S, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE DO THAT? WELL, WE HAVE TO PROVIDE SOME VALUE TO SOMEONE THAT\u2019S TRAVELING TO PUNXSUTAWNEY. AND WE REALIZED AT A POINT THAT IT WASN\u2019T JUST GROUNDHOG DAY. IF SOMEONE WAS DRIVING ACROSS 80 AND THIS WAS HAPPENING LIKE EVERY DAY, THEY\u2019D BE DRIVING ACROSS 80 OR, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHERE AND THEY\u2019D SAY, OH, HEY, PUNXSUTAWNEY IS LIKE, RIGHT ALONG THE WAY, LET\u2019S SWING THROUGH THERE. I JUST WANT TO SEE WHERE THAT TAKES PLACE OR I WANT TO SEE PHIL. IT\u2019S LIKE THE BLARNEY STONE OR LIKE SOMETHING. AND, YOU KNOW, WE REALIZED WE DIDN\u2019T HAVE A EVEN A PRESENCE UP HERE ON GOBBLER\u2019S KNOB. LIKE, FOR THE PEOPLE THAT DON\u2019T REALIZE GOBBLER\u2019S KNOB IS LIKE, WHERE GROUNDHOG DAY TAKES PLACE, IS LIKE A MILE OUTSIDE OF PUNXSUTAWNEY IN LIKE A RURAL SETTING. BUT OUR OFFICE WAS DOWNTOWN PUNXSUTAWNEY AND SO WE WOULDN\u2019T EVEN BE UP HERE IN THE SUMMER MONTHS. AND SO ONE OF THE GUYS WOULD BE UP, LIKE WEED WHACKING OR PULLING WEEDS OR PAINTING A FENCE OR SOMETHING, AND HE\u2019D SAY, DO YOU GUYS REALIZE THAT THERE\u2019S LIKE THREE CARS AN HOUR COMING IN THERE? AND AND SO WE SAID, WELL, WE REALLY NEED TO BE ABLE TO GREET THOSE PEOPLE. AND LIKE I SAID, THESE ORGANIC THINGS HAPPEN. YOU HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. NEXT THING YOU KNOW, WE\u2019VE GOT A VISITOR CENTER UP HERE AND WE\u2019RE SEEING ALL THOSE PEOPLE AND WE FEEL GIVING THEM MORE OF AN EXPERIENCE IS JUST BY WORD OF MOUTH, MORE INTEREST. AND THE THE THING JUST KEEPS GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER. AND WE LOVE IT. STILL AHEAD ON FOR THE RECORD, NONE OF US HAVE ANY IDEA GOING INTO GROUNDHOG DAY WHAT PHIL\u2019S PREDICTION IS GOING TO BE. IT\u2019S PHIL AND PHIL ALONE. A CONTINUED LOOK BEHIND THE CURTAIN AT HOW PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL LIVES AND ENJOYS LIFE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, FROM THE FAME TO THE THIS BIG ANNUAL MOMENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT. WELCOME BACK TO FOR THE RECORD, AS WE CONTINUE MY CONVERSATION WITH THE RAINMAKER, THE MAN HONORED TO SERVE AS PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL HANDLER, I LEARNED MORE ABOUT WHAT LIFE IS REALLY LIKE BEHIND THE SCENES WITH PHIL. I WOULD ASSUME THAT A LOT OF THESE EVENTS HAPPEN BOTH HERE IN TOWN AND ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH. YOU\u2019RE PHIL\u2019S RIGHT HAND MAN. WHAT DOES TRANSPORTING PHIL LOOK LIKE FROM ONE DESTINATION TO ANOTHER? IT IT HAS SOME LAYERS. OKAY, FIRST OF ALL, PHIL HAS A CARRIER, LIKE A PET CARRIER. BUT BUT THAT DOESN\u2019T WORK TOO WELL BECAUSE YOU CAN\u2019T REACH IN LIKE THIS AND GET PHIL. YOU HAVE TO REACH DOWN FROM THE TOP TO PICK UP A GROUNDHOG. SO YOU\u2019RE NOT REACHING AT THEIR MOUTH BECAUSE THEY IT FEELS NOT TAME. HE\u2019LL STILL BITE. SO WE HAVE BUILT SOME DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT THE MAIN HIS MAIN TRAVEL CARRIER IS A LIKE A PLEXIGLASS CYLINDER THAT WE\u2019VE BUILT THAT HE\u2019S HE CAN BE IN, HE CAN\u2019T JUMP OUT OF IT. AND PEOPLE CAN GET PICTURES FROM THE WHOLE WAY AROUND. AND SO HE TRAVELS IN THAT. AND THEN WE PUT THAT IN SOMETIMES IN THE BACK OF ONE OF OUR VEHICLES, BUT MOST OFTEN IN THE PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL MOBILE, WHICH IS LIKE A, LIKE A SHUTTLE BUS, LIKE A, YOU KNOW, LIKE AN ATA OR LIKE A, YOU KNOW, LIKE A, LIKE AN AIRPORT SHUTTLE BUS AND OR AND IT\u2019S IT\u2019S ALL, YOU KNOW, IT\u2019S WRAPPED LIKE THIS ROOM IN FULL GROUND. IT IS FULL. PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER, ACTUALLY, A DEPICTION OF GOBBLER\u2019S KNOB ON IT. SO IT\u2019S KIND OF COOL. LIKE YOU LOOK AT THE BUS AND IT\u2019S LIKE YOU\u2019RE THERE AND IT\u2019S ALL IT\u2019S DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR. PHIL. SO IT\u2019S GOT A DOOR ON THE SIDE WHERE HIS CARRIER GOES IN, AND SEATING FOR THE INNER CIRCLE INSIDE, AND IT ACTUALLY HAS SPEAKERS THAT MOUNT ON THE OUTSIDE. SO WHEN WE DO PARADES, WE STICK THE SPEAKERS ON THE, YOU KNOW, ON THERE. AND WE CAN PLAY SOME GROUNDHOG MUSIC. AND IT HAS A PLATFORM THAT FOLDS DOWN IN FRONT FOR PHIL TO RIDE ON WITH HIS HANDLERS, AND THAT\u2019S HOW HE THEN GREETS PEOPLE FOR PARADES, BECAUSE WE TRY TO BOUNCE AROUND TO AS MANY PARADES AS WE CAN GET TO, AND THEN JUST THE DIFFERENT EVENTS THAT WE GET INVITED TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE AT. SO IT\u2019S IT\u2019S GREAT. IT\u2019S A GREAT WAY TO TRAVEL. AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CERTAINLY THEN SEE PHIL COMING. THEY THEY LIKE GETTING THEIR PICTURE IN FRONT OF THE BUS AS MUCH AS THEY LIKE THEIR PICTURE TAKEN HERE, I THINK SO. WELL, DO YOU THINK THE ALLURE IS OF A GROUNDHOG TO PEOPLE WHENEVER THEY SEE PHIL COMING? I MEAN, HAVE YOU MET HIM? I\u2019VE ONLY SEEN HIM FROM A DISTANCE LAST YEAR. HE\u2019S, YOU KNOW, HE\u2019S A PRETTY CHARISMATIC FELLOW. HE\u2019S, YOU KNOW, GROUNDHOG. THERE\u2019S SOMETHING ABOUT HIM, YOU KNOW, THEY\u2019RE CUTE. THEY THEY LOOK CUDDLY. THEY\u2019RE THEY\u2019RE VERY INTELLIGENT. THEY ARE GOOD AT PREDICTING THE WEATHER. AND THEY\u2019RE JUST, YOU KNOW, HE\u2019S HE AND IT\u2019S SOME OF IT\u2019S JUST THE ALLURE WHETHER SOMEONE MIGHT BE A TRUE BELIEVER. WHAT WE\u2019D SAY LIKE A PHIL FAN OR THEY MIGHT BE A CYNIC, BUT EITHER WAY, THEY WANT THEY WANT A PICTURE BESIDE THEM. SO THEY WANT TO THEY WANT TO MEET THEM. THEY WANT TO SEE WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT. THEY WANT TO ASK ME HOW OLD PHIL IS, AND THEN THEY WANT TO ASK THE NEXT TOP HATTER DOWN THE ROW THEY SAY THE SAME THING. AND THEN THEN THEY WANT TO ASK SOMEONE FROM TOWN AND SEE IF THEY SAY THE SAME THING, AND THEN THEY SAY, OH, YOU\u2019VE BEEN HERE A BUNCH OF TIMES. WHAT? HOW OLD IS PHIL? AND YOU TELL THEM THE SAME THING AND THEY\u2019RE LIKE, OKAY, I\u2019M STARTING TO GET THIS. AND WHAT IS THE REAL ANSWER? HOW OLD IS PHIL? WELL, PHIL\u2019S AT LEAST 139 YEARS OLD. HE CAME TO OUR CARE IN 1887, AND SO WE\u2019RE NOT SURE HOW OLD HE WAS THEN, BUT, YOU KNOW, HE\u2019S BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME, AND WE EXPECT HIM TO BE AROUND FOR QUITE A WHILE LONGER. TELL US ABOUT THE LEGEND OF THE ELIXIR THAT KEEPS HIM GOING ALL THESE 300 YEARS, 130 YEAR PLUS. YEAH. SO, WELL, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, HE CAME INTO OUR CARE IN 1887, IN PUNXSUTAWNEY, THERE WERE A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD BECOME THE GROUNDHOG CLUB, BUT BACK IN THOSE DAYS, THEY ACTUALLY HUNTED GROUNDHOG AND HAD THIS BIG PICNIC EVERY FALL, WHICH WE STILL HAVE. AND GROUNDHOG WAS THE MAIN COURSE. WELL, WHAT WE SAY IS THAT ONE YEAR A PARTICULAR GROUNDHOG PRESENTED HIMSELF TO THESE HUNTERS AND HUNTRESSES, AND THEY RECOGNIZED THAT HE WAS UNIQUE. AND FROM THAT POINT FORWARD, HE WAS THE GUEST OF HONOR AND NO LONGER THE MAIN COURSE. SO NOW WE HAVE STEAK AND MASHED POTATOES AND CORN ON THE COB, AND PHIL GETS TO ATTEND THE THE PICNIC. AND AT THAT PICNIC HE GOES DOWN ONTO THE ONTO HIS STUMP AND IS ADMINISTERED THE ELIXIR OF LIFE. OR SOME PEOPLE CALL IT GROUNDHOG PUNCH, BUT IT\u2019S A SECRET RECIPE PASSED DOWN FROM HANDLER TO HANDLER, AND WITH EACH SIP, HE GETS SEVEN MORE YEARS OF LONGEVITY. SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY, I DON\u2019T KNOW IF THE CAMERA SHOWS IT, BUT WE\u2019RE IN THIS DEPICTION BACK HERE WHERE WE ARE ADMINISTERING THE ELIXIR. SO VERY NICE. ANOTHER PART OF THE LAW IS THE GROUNDHOG ESE THAT EVERYBODY IN THE INNER CIRCLE LEARNS AND IS ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH. WELL, IT\u2019S ACTUALLY NOT NOT TRUE. OKAY. SO GROUNDHOG ESE IS A IS A LANGUAGE THAT IS ABLE TO BE INTERPRETED BY THE THE GROUNDHOG CLUB PRESIDENT, OKAY. THROUGH HIS POSSESSION OF AN ANCIENT ACACIA WOOD CANE. WALKING CANE. OKAY. AND THAT CANE KIND OF GETS PASSED DOWN FROM PRESIDENT TO PRESIDENT. BUT I LIKE TO SAY IT\u2019S KIND OF LIKE IF PEOPLE KNOW THE STORY OF THE SWORD AND THE STONE, LIKE, I MIGHT HAND YOU THAT CANE AND YOU\u2019D BE LOOKING AT PHIL AND, YOU KNOW, JUST KNOW NOTHING\u2019S DIFFERENT. OR YOU MIGHT PICK IT UP AND YOU LOOK AT PHIL AND HE LOOKS AT YOU AND SAYS, HEY, YOU KNOW, I COULD REALLY GO FOR AN AVOCADO RIGHT NOW OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND SO THEN YOU WOULD KNOW THAT YOU\u2019D BE ACTUALLY THE HEIR APPARENT TO THE PRESIDENCY OF THE GROUNDHOG CLUB. WE\u2019D HAVE A LOT OF PAPERWORK AND THINGS TO DO, BUT THAT\u2019S KIND OF HOW THAT WORKS, IS IT IS, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT CANE GIVES THAT PERSON THAT ONE PERSON THE ABILITY TO INTERPRET GROUNDHOGS. THEY CAN\u2019T EVEN NECESSARILY SPEAK IT, OKAY, BUT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND IT. SO THAT\u2019S WHAT HAPPENS ON, YOU KNOW, ON FEBRUARY 2ND, THERE\u2019S YOU KNOW, THAT\u2019S SOMETHING EVEN WIKIPEDIA HAS IT WRONG. YOU KNOW, YOU GET ON IT. PEOPLE THINK WE HAVE LIKE IT\u2019S ALL SCRIPTED AND WE HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT. BUT YOU KNOW, THERE\u2019S 15 TOP HATTERS AND NONE OF US HAVE ANY IDEA GOING INTO GROUNDHOG DAY WHAT FEELS PREDICTION IS GOING TO BE IT\u2019S PHIL AND PHIL ALONE. I COULD SIT THERE AND SAY, BUDDY, SHADOWS RIGHT THERE. IT DOESN\u2019T MATTER. IT\u2019S PHIL\u2019S PREDICTION. HE HE HE. COMMUNICATES THAT PREDICTION TO THE PRESIDENT IN GROUNDHOG ESE. AND THE PRESIDENT THEN DIRECTS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE GRETNA CLUB TO READ THE PROPER PREDICTION. THAT\u2019S HOW THAT ALL HAPPENS. SO IT\u2019S ALL THROUGH THAT THAT GROUNDHOG. SO LIKE I SAID, NONE OF US ACTUALLY, OTHER THAN THE PRESIDENT, HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT PHIL STANDS FOR. ME, IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE GROUNDHOG CLICKING HIS TEETH AND WIGGLING HIS EARS. SO VERY NICE. AS A METEOROLOGIST, I HAVE TO ASK YOU, WHAT IS PHIL\u2019S WEATHER BACKGROUND? DOES HE HAVE ANY WEATHER SCHOOLING THAT HE\u2019S LEARNED OVER THESE YEARS? HE\u2019S WHAT WE WOULD CALL A SAVANT. OKAY? A WEATHER SAVANT IS AN ALL 100% NATURAL ABILITY. VERY NICE. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT HE\u2019S GOING TO SAY THIS YEAR? HAS HE TOLD YOU ANYTHING? I HAVE NO IDEA. OKAY. SOMETIMES I CAN SENSE AN INKLING OR. I THINK, YOU KNOW, I LIKE TO, LIKE, PONDER. I GUESS. BUT, YEAH, I REALLY HAVE NO IDEA. OKAY. YEAH. IT\u2019LL BE THE MORNING OF. IF YOU WOULDN\u2019T MIND TAKING US BACK TO YOUR VERY FIRST GROUNDHOG DAY AS HIS HANDLER. WHAT WAS IT LIKE AWAKENING FROM HIS HIBERNATION IN THE STUMP ON GOBBLER\u2019S KNOB? WELL. AND IT HAS BECOME. YOU GET A LITTLE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH IT, BUT LIKE, I DON\u2019T I DIDN\u2019T GROW UP BEING ON STAGE IN FRONT OF 50,000 PEOPLE, NOR DO I DO IT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SO THAT PART OF IT THERE\u2019S, AS YOU KNOW, WITH YOUR PROFESSION, THERE\u2019S SOME. PRESSURE TO SHOWMANSHIP, TOO. YEAH, THERE\u2019S SOME SHOWMANSHIP AND SOME PRESSURE AND YOU\u2019RE YOU\u2019RE TRYING TO KEEP YOUR MIND FROM GETTING INTO THE GUTTER AND CONTEMPLATING FAILURE IN ANY WAY. AND SO, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST WANT TO DO IT RIGHT. YOU DON\u2019T WANT TO TRIP, YOU DON\u2019T WANT TO, YOU KNOW, YOU DON\u2019T WANT. YOU\u2019RE LIKE, YOU KNOW, BUTTONS TO BE BUTTONED CROOKED. YOU\u2019RE JUST TRYING TO THINK ALL THOSE THINGS. THE STAGE, BUT IT REALLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU REALIZE IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU AND YOU\u2019RE JUST THE MESSENGER, THEN YOU\u2019RE ALL RIGHT, AND THEN YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU OPEN THE DOORS AND YOU\u2019RE PRAYING HE\u2019S IN THERE BECAUSE, I MEAN, HE COULD, I SUPPOSE, DIG THROUGH THE STUMP, BUT HE NEVER DOES. YEAH. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU GET HIM OUT AND IT\u2019S IT ALL HAPPENS VERY, VERY FAST. BUT IT IS AWE INSPIRING TO SEE ALL THOSE PEOPLE AND HEAR THEIR CHEERS. IT IS JUST UNBELIEVABLE. IT REALLY PUTS IT INTO PERSPECTIVE. IT\u2019S FOR ME, THERE\u2019S NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT. IT\u2019S I\u2019M I\u2019M LUCKY TO HAVE THIS, HAVE MY TIME WITH PHIL AND AT SOME POINT IT WILL COME TO A CLOSE AND I\u2019LL MOVE ON TO SOME OTHER POSITION. BUT FOR NOW IT IS A GREAT JOB AND I\u2019M GLAD TO BE THERE. WITH THEM. STILL AHEAD, A FINAL THOUGHT FROM PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL HANDLER. WELCOME BACK TO, FOR THE RECORD, ON THIS GROUNDHOG DAY EVE, BEFORE WE WRAP UP, ONE FINAL THOUGHT FROM PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL HANDLER, TAKE A LOOK. YOU MENTIONED BEFORE THAT PHIL IS MORE THAN JUST A LOCAL LEGEND. HE\u2019S A NATIONAL TREASURE TO WORLDWIDE, WORLDWIDE EVEN. YES. IF YOU COULD LEAVE US WITH ONE, MAYBE OF YOUR FAVORITE MEMORIES OF BEING OUT WITH PHIL, WHETHER IT\u2019S DURING THE GROUNDHOG CELEBRATIONS AROUND GROUNDHOG DAY OR THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, I WOULD SAY THAT. PROBABLY MY FAVORITE THING. IT IS THE PEOPLE, JUST ALL THE PEOPLE MEETING PHIL AND SEEING HOW EXCITED THEY GET. AND THERE\u2019S TWO TIMES. IN MY TIME, MAYBE WITH PHIL AS HANDLER OR JUST BEING IN THE GROUNDHOG CLUB. WE DO THE PITTSBURGH SAINT PATRICK\u2019S DAY PARADE EVERY YEAR, AND THERE ARE POINTS IN THAT PARADE WHERE IT IS SO CROWDED AND ESPECIALLY IN GOOD WEATHER YEAR, IT\u2019S LIKE YOU\u2019RE GOING DOWN. I THINK IT\u2019S GRANT AND THE PEOPLE ARE THE IT IS FROM THE BUILDING TO THE CURB, AND THEN ANOTHER 15FT INTO THE ROAD THAT THEY ARE SWELLED AND YOU\u2019RE LIKE PARTING THE RED SEA, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH, WITH THE OTHER PARADE, YOU KNOW, PARTICIPANTS AND THE, THE, THE SCREAMING IS SO LOUD THAT YOUR, YOUR, YOUR EARDRUMS LITERALLY FLUTTER. IT IS THE EXCITEMENT OF THOSE PEOPLE IN THAT CROWD. IT\u2019S THERE. AND SCHOOL VISITS. SO WE TAKE PHIL TO THESE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. AND, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU\u2019RE IN A CLASSROOM OF, YOU KNOW, YOU\u2019RE AT A PRESCHOOL IN A CLASSROOM OF 20 TODDLERS. SOMETIMES YOU\u2019RE IN, YOU KNOW, A A LARGE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THEIR GYMNASIUM WITH THE ENTIRE SCHOOL. AND YOU WALK INTO THOSE THINGS AND IT\u2019S THE SAME WAY, LIKE IT IS SO LOUD AND SO UNBELIEVABLE. AND THEY\u2019RE CHEERING FOR PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL. AND YOU SEE IT AND YOU FEEL IT AND YOU\u2019RE LIKE, YOU. YOU RECOGNIZE HOW 50,000 PEOPLE DESCEND ON A TOWN OF 5000 ONCE A YEAR TO WATCH A GROUNDHOG PREDICT THE WEATHER. IT IS IT\u2019S IT\u2019S REAL. AND KEEP IT HERE BECAUSE COMING UP AFTER THE BREAK, MY FOR THE RECORD\u2019S FOCUS ON GROUNDHOG DAY IS FAR FROM OVER. ONE OF THE MISSIONS OF THE GROUNDHOG CLUB IS TO BRING PEOPLE TO PUNXSUTAWNEY EVERY DAY, NOT JUST GROUNDHOG DAY. AS WE GET READY FOR GROUNDHOG DAY. TOMORROW. FOR THE RECORD, IS ALSO SPEAKING WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE GROUNDHOG CLUB. JOIN US NEXT SUNDAY AT 11 AND WILL LOOK BACK AT THE PREDICTION PHIL MAKES THIS WEEK, AND ALSO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GROUNDHOG DAY TRADITIONS IN PUNXSUTAWNEY. AND BE SURE TO TUNE IN TOMORROW MORNING STARTING AT 430 AS PITTSBURGH\u2019S ACTION NEWS FOUR COVERS ALL THINGS GROUNDHOG DAY IN THE BIG RUN UP TO PHIL\u2019S ANNOUNCEMENT. BUT FOR NOW, THAT\u2019S ALL FOR TODAY\u2019S EPISODE OF FOR THE RECORD. THANK YOU FOR WATCHING. HAVE A GREAT WEEK.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
‘I was born with the groundhog gene’: Punxsutawney Phil’s handler speaks with ‘4 The Record’<\/p>\n
Host Jill Szwed sat down with A.J. Dereume<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tUpdated: 11:00 AM EST Feb 1, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\tEditorial Standards \u24d8<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\tOn Sunday, which was Groundhog Day eve, “4 The Record” featured host Jill Szwed\u2019s interview with A.J. Dereume, the handler for what is arguably the most famous groundhog in the world, Punxsutawney Phil.The Groundhog Day tradition happens every Feb. 2.Phil is removed from his burrow and legend says that, if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter.If he does not see a shadow, there will be an early spring.GROUNDHOG DAY TRAVEL GUIDE | GROUNDHOG DAY EVENTS | BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE INNER CIRCLEAbout his role as Phil\u2019s handler, Dereume said, \u201cYou get a lot of photos taken when you’re Phil’s handler. That part’s cool if you’re into that. But there’s also a lot of work and a lot of responsibility that comes with it.\u201dDereume said the role is fitting because his grandfather was a member of Punxsutawney\u2019s groundhog club, as was his father.\u201cI was born with the groundhog gene, if you will,\u201d he said.Groundhog Day will be held Monday.WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tPUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n On Sunday, which was Groundhog Day eve, “4 The Record” featured host Jill Szwed\u2019s interview with A.J. Dereume, the handler for what is arguably the most famous groundhog in the world, Punxsutawney Phil.<\/p>\n The Groundhog Day tradition<\/a> happens every Feb. 2.<\/p>\n Phil is removed from his burrow and legend says that, if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter.<\/p>\n If he does not see a shadow, there will be an early spring.<\/p>\n GROUNDHOG DAY TRAVEL GUIDE <\/a>| GROUNDHOG DAY EVENTS<\/a> | BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE INNER CIRCLE<\/a><\/p>\n About his role as Phil\u2019s handler, Dereume said, \u201cYou get a lot of photos taken when you’re Phil’s handler. That part’s cool if you’re into that. But there’s also a lot of work and a lot of responsibility that comes with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Dereume said the role is fitting because his grandfather was a member of Punxsutawney\u2019s groundhog club, as was his father.<\/p>\n \u201cI was born with the groundhog gene, if you will,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Groundhog Day will be held Monday.<\/p>\n WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"‘I was born with the groundhog gene’: Punxsutawney Phil’s handler speaks with ‘4 The Record’ Host Jill Szwed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":103710,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[11614,50150,50154,10124,50149,50152,50151,50148,50153,2340,15732,2922,16414,73,75,74,10125,10123,7173,22598,4048,18181],"class_list":["post-103709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-4-the-record","tag-dereume","tag-groundhog-club","tag-groundhog-day","tag-groundhog-day-eve","tag-groundhog-day-travel-guide","tag-groundhog-gene","tag-handler","tag-inner-circleabout","tag-interview","tag-jefferson-county","tag-lot","tag-member","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-punxsutawney","tag-punxsutawney-phil","tag-record","tag-role","tag-shadow","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}