New groundhog postmark available at post office

February 9, 2011

This Groundhog Day postmark created by Sandy Zambory is now available at the Punxsutawney Post Office.

PUNXSUTAWNEY —
Visitors may have departed until next Groundhog Day, but everyone will continue to be reminded that Punxsutawney remains the Weather Capital of the World, thanks to Punxsy Phil and the post office.

As Groundhog Day arrived this year, so did a new groundhog postmark. In a contest seeking submissions last year, the winner is Sandy Zambory, who submitted two drawings to the Punxsutawney Area Chamber of Commerce, which were then forwarded to the post office.

Zambory has had a long love for art, after the experience she had in junior high when she began taking various art classes. She soon found that this was a hobby in which she excelled and took much pleasure.

Last year, Zambory, a member of the Punxsutawney Arts Association Inc., received a letter from the Chamber announcing to all club members that there would be a contest seeking line drawings for the proposed Groundhog Day postmark.

While Zambory knew she was going to enter the contest, inspiration — a groundhog, of course — wandered into her driveway. Once she snapped pictures of the groundhog, she soon began to draw.

After a few hours, Zambory presented her drawings to her family, who then picked the two best to submit. She later submitted her line-drawings of single groundhogs, one in cartoon form.

After the drawings were submitted, ballots appeared in The Spirit for all to cut and submit to the post office or Chamber of Commerce to vote for the best postmark.

Zambory has also designed three "Phantastic Phils!" in and around Punxsutawney.

At Gobbler's Knob during Groundhog Day last week, Zambory appeared with Punxsy Postmaster, John McBee in announcing the new postmark, which is available every day to all who stop by the Punxsutawney Post Office.