Archive - 2011 - News Article

Deeley invites Obama, but Obama postpones PSU trip

February 1, 2011

PUNXSUTAWNEY — The invitation was there, but now the trip is postponed.

So much for having President Barack Obama as a guest at Groundhog Day 2011.

After reports last week that Obama would visit Penn State the same day as Groundhog Day, Inner Circle President Bill Deeley said Monday he extended an invitation to the president through U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson’s office.

“I said, ‘Fax, or e-mail or call and invite Barack Obama,’” Deeley said. “He’s going to be in State College, so why not come and do Groundhog Day day with us.”

PAHS to crown Groundhog King, Queen today

February 1, 2011

PUNXSUTAWNEY — Last week, PAHS seniors chose four girls and four boys for the 2011 Groundhog’s Day court. The students chosen were Katrina Anderson, Samantha Osikowicz, Lindsey Paulina, Caroline Weaver, Ben Blazavich, Jakob Godo, James Kachmar and Joe Neal.

The king and queen will be crowned during the annual Groundhog Day assembly at PAHS, which is now scheduled for 10 a.m. today.
• Katrina Anderson, daughter of Kim and Tom Anderson of Stump Creek, is enrolled in the academic curriculum and plans to attend Westminster College to major in occupational therapy.

Punxsutawney Phil celebrates 125th birthday

January 31, 2011

PUNXSUTAWNEY —

Punxsutawney Phil is known as a model of consistency, appearing each Feb. 2 at Gobbler’s Knob and emerging from his burrow.

So it may come as a surprise that there is no record from nine of his first 12 prognostications.

In fact, there is no record from 1886, when Groundhog Day was first recognized in Punxsutawney — it was then known as Weathers Wags.

Likewise, there is no record of Phil’s prediction from 1899, the year the Groundhog Club was founded.

Weather Center upgrade just in time for Feb. 2

January 31, 2011

PUNXSUTAWNEY — As the year is advancing, so are the exhibits at the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center (PWDC).

Just in time for Groundhog Day, the PWDC is upgrading its already-popular Galileo Ultra Graphix Animator Plus, otherwise known as a green screen.

A green screen, including the essential equipment, allows people of all ages to stand in front of the green screen and perform a weather forecast, just like on TV.

Obama visiting PSU, but not Punxsy

January 29, 2011

WASHINGTON — Talk about a summit in the making.

Friday, the White House announced that President Obama would be visiting “central Pennsylvania” next week — specifically, Feb. 2 ... Groundhog Day.

Could it be that the President of the United States and Punxsutawney Phil are getting together for a meeting of the minds during America’s Second-Favorite Holiday?

What would they talk about? Health care? The economy? Using some of Punxsy Phil’s life-extending elixir for that upcoming 2012 election?
Don’t count on it.

Former Brookville player will face Steelers with the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl

January 29, 2011

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Current Green Bay Packers center Scott Wells wasn’t sure what to think of Brookville when he was 10 years old. The adjustment to living the small-town lifestyle was a lot different from what he was accustomed to in his native Texas.

He loved the aggressive, physical nature of the football he played in Texas, but after he moved to Pennsylvania, he couldn’t play his style of football anymore. No one in Brookville could, because there wasn’t an opportunity to play tackle football at such a young age.

Dan Prutznal takes green — not black — with his gold

January 29, 2011

PUNXSUTAWNEY — Meet the Prutznal family of Punxsy: Parents Dan and Peggy, sons Shane and twins Landon and Luke, and the youngest, daughter Maggie.

Not a Steelers fan in the bunch.

But if you look closely in the family’s basement, you’ll find plenty of gold, but the color accompanying it is not black; it’s green.

Also in the basement, you’ll likely find Dan “The Packer Man,” working on some hand-crafted Packers swag and decorations in preparation for Green & Gold’s appearance in Super Bowl XLV against the Black & Gold, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jim Koch: Sam Adams, Groundhog Day have ‘seasonality’ in common

January 28, 2011

Jim Koch, founder of The Boston Beer Company and brewer of Samuel Adams, said he hasn’t received any special advice for his upcoming visit to Punxsutawney for Groundhog Day.

Well, maybe one piece of advice.

“’Just bring some beer,’” he said Thursday. “That’s my role. They have their jobs, and I just need to bring the beer.”

Koch, who brewed his first batch of beer in his kitchen in the mid-80s with his great-grandfather’s recipe for Louis Koch Lager, will be inducted as an honorary member of the Inner Circle, and he will also be the guest speaker at the Groundhog Banquet.

Phil’s Dancers ready to dance the cold away Feb. 2

January 28, 2011

PUNXSUTAWNEY — An important part of the Groundhog Day festivities is the excitement generated by a group known as Phil’s Dancers, selected each year at PAHS by math teacher and Inner Circle Stump Warden Ron Ploucha.

This year’s dancers were selected in November and include Mia Anderson, Melissa Blose, Tawnee Bowers, Danielle Knopick, Megan Muth, Samantha Osikowicz, Allie Shields and Krystin Vanderpool.

‘Early bird’ talks have board, PAEA optimistic about negotiations

January 27, 2011

PUNXSUTWNEY — Even though the contract doesn’t expire until the end of the school year, members of the Punxsutawney Area School Board of Directors and the Punxsutawney Area Education Association (PAEA) have been meeting to begin negotiating a new contract.

The current contract, which was approved in June 2007, and was retroactive to July 1, 2004, and expires June 30.

Board President Gary Conrad said the state must be notified six months in advance when the contract will expire.