The front of the library and museum in the Fall of 2025
The historic sign
I recently visited the Beach Haven Library and Museum in Beach Haven during the holiday season and discovered a historical library with a rich history in both the community and on Long Beach Island.
The museum on the second floor
On the second floor of the library is the history room of the Beach Haven Library that contains a collection of historic artifacts and ledgers from hotels and businesses on the island. Each of the case lines tells a different story of the community from the grand hotels that once lined the shore and have since disappeared to the lives of the families that once called the island home. When I talked with one of the librarians, she told me that estates from the area donate these items to the library and this has established their collection.
The second floor fireplace
The antique kitchen equipment
The second floor of the library has another fireplace where vintage pottery and kitchen items are on display. There are also decorative pieces of pottery lining the shelves.
Historic China inside the Emily Lloyd Wilson Secretarial desk. Her father designed the Baldwin Hotel in Beach Haven.
The historic ledger from the Parry Hotel
The library has another fireplace where extensive collection of hotel ledgers and artifacts.
Letters from Elizabeth Pharo proposing the Library in 1923
Short History of the Library:
(From the library pamphlet)
Mrs. Pharo presented to the library board a proposal to build the library entirely at her own expense. She contacted Philadelphia architect, R. Brognard Okie to design the library. He chose the model of a Pennsylvania Farmhouse. The library was completed in the Fall of 1924. The museum is now over a hundred years old.
The dedication to Elizabeth Pharo, who dedicated the museum.
The Long Beach Island House Guest Ledger and historic items from the historic Bond Hotel
The records of the past resort town Long Beach Island used to be with guests coming from New York City, Philadelphia and beyond.
Historic items from the Tuckerton & Long Beach Building Land and Improvement Association
The Engleside Hotel ledger and items from the hotel
The New Jersey Declaration towards the Declaration of Independence
Historic books and periodicals
The library has an interesting collection of vintage and antique books that have been donated to the collection.
Photo display on historic sites in Beach Haven and pictures of the original library
Some of the pictures are from the old library and the artifacts come from ships ground ashore. The library has a diverse collection of items to view.
The Compass from the historic shipwreck ‘Fortuna’ that wrecked off Ship Bottom in 1910 and historic boat
The second floor museum gallery holds the diverse collection of artifacts
The second floor of the 1928 building
The first floor of the library has all sorts of historical artifacts along the walls
The Holiday Kickoff in 2025:
I visited during the library’s Holiday Open House with games, trivia and activities. There was also live music in the afternoon. It was a way that the library gives back to the community. It was a nice family event with good food and nice conversation with people from the community.
The Holiday Open House
The fireplace was going when I was talking to the librarians
It was a very nice family event where patrons families could relax, have something to eat and play games with their children. The Liberians could not have been more friendly and engaging with the public.
The Children’s Room had a holiday challenge
The museum is a rare gem tucked not just on the second floor but along the shelves and tables of the entire historic library giving visitors a chance to see all these historic artifacts mixed in with the library book collection.
The History of the Beach Haven Library:
(from the library website)
Attempts to establish a library in Beach Haven had begun as early as the 1880’s with a gift of books for the town’s children by Dr. Edward Williams. Williams, along with Charles Parry of the Parry House and the Baldwin Hotel, was a partner in the Baldwin Locomotive Works. The library collection was first housed in the home of Samuel Copperthwaite on Engleside Avenue. It was later moved into one of the Sunday School rooms of the Kynett Methodist Church, which had been built in 1890.
After the old Quaker Meeting House was donated to the town by Walter Pharo, the Reverend Alexander Corson of the Methodist Church began work, with the help of his wife, to turn the former Meeting House into a viable library. By the time they left in 1908, it was well on its way.
In 1923, Walter’s widow, Elizabeth Pharo, presented the library’s board of trustees with a proposal to build, entirely at her own expense, a new library for the town. It would be sited two blocks away from the Methodist church on a corner lot which she owned at Third Street and Beach Avenue. The library would be dedicated to the memory of her husband’s parents, Archelaus Ridgway Pharo and Louisa Willits Pharo–the founders of Beach Haven–as well as to her late husband Walter.
Mrs. Pharo contracted R. Brognard Okie, one of Philadelphia’s finest architects, to design the new library. He chose as his model a Pennsylvania farmhouse–not an early lifesaving station, as some believed. Unlike a traditional farmhouse, however, it would be constructed entirely of brick and steel and include several stunning features: three working fireplaces, a vaulted ceiling, and an interior balcony encircling the first floor.
Tons of concrete were poured and steel girders for the new, two-story structure were already up by the spring of 1924 on the southeast corner of Beach Avenue at Third Street. Okie moved to Beach Haven to supervise every step of the construction, which was all done by local builder Floyd Cranmer. Ten railcar loads of bricks were used to build the solid outer walls and it was soon evident that the town was to have the finest library on the New Jersey coast.
As the library neared completion in the late fall of 1924, its beauty was already drawing praise. Every window in the structure was framed with long shutters of pale green, which gleamed against the white brick exterior. A sweeping, multi-dormered black roof added a grace seldom seen in a public building. Surrounded by a low, white picket fence and later, a well-kept green lawn, it added an incomparable dignity to what, in that time period, was the town’s main street, Beach Avenue.
There are two large colonial-style working fireplaces on the first floor. One is in the main room and the other is behind it in the long back room on the ocean side of the library. Today this room houses the Mystery collection and its solid, ten-foot table makes it useful as a meeting room. In the early years, however, it served a different function–it was designated as the men’s reading room, and there male patrons could sit in large comfortable chairs to read magazines and newspapers. It was well lit by two tall French windows and it opened out onto the screened porch on the north side.
The main reading room with its vaulted ceiling is encircled with a balcony reached by a spiral stone staircase, its steps topped with thick slabs of slate. The balcony flooring is of oak, as are all of the spindles in the railings. The upstairs walls are lined with books. One great window on the west side rises ten feet to the ceiling. The rest are all set into dormers. On the east wall behind the upstairs balcony there is a door where one may step down into a well-furnished little museum with high, beamed ceilings and a huge stone fireplace. It is filled with old hotel registers, deeds, diaries, photographs and other mementos of Beach Haven’s vibrant history.
The Beach Haven Public Library is a prime architectural treasure on Long Beach Island and a direct link to a colorful past that is the town’s most precious heritage. Mrs. Elizabeth Pharo’s gift to the town, itself now almost 100 years old, is as stunning as the day it was built. The taxpayers who support it are proud of its status as the only independent library in Ocean County and have chosen to keep it that way.
There was a lot to explore in this part of Pennsylvania after Groundhog’s Day was over.
I had gone out to Punxsutawney, PA for the Groundhog’s Day celebrations on February 2nd and because of time and travel ended up spending three nights in the area. Once at the Community Center in Punxsutawney the night before Groundhog’s Day (highly recommended to save money as you will never be in your hotel room), I settled in for the night. It costs $10.00 to spend the night and you get to see the last showing of the movie “Groundhog’s Day” for free while eating fresh popcorn.
The Community Center in Punxsutawney, PA is the best place to spend the night before Groundhog’s Day.
The second night I spent in Indiana, PA just south of Punxsutawney because everything was sold out between Route 80 and Punxsutawney and they wanted a two night minimum with the few hotels and B & B’s selling around $400.00 a night. Just twelve miles down Route 119 and the hotels were practically empty in Indiana and I paid $85.00 at the Quality Inn. A much better deal and you get to explore the small town of Indiana, a college town and the County seat with its vibrant downtown of restaurants and stores and three interesting little museums.
My last night was just outside Mahanoy City, PA where I would be attending church services at our family church for the first time in fifty years and paying respect to my great-grandparents and my godparents who are buried in the cemetery on the hill. I had not done that in eight years as well. Trust me when I say there is not many places to stay in the three mining towns that surround the main mine company, Blaschak Anthracite and the open mine you can see in the middle of these three towns. It was an interesting look into my family’s past in the mining industry.
It is always fun seeing the Groundhog (this is Edwina of Essex at the Turtle Back Zoo).
The day after Groundhog’s Day, I decided to explore the area around Punxsutawney knowing that I had the full day to get to Mahanoy City, which was only two and a half hours away. I had spent Groundhog’s Day night in Indiana, PA and wanted to explore it a bit more. Once the Groundhog’s Day celebrations are over, there were food trucks and demonstrations in the Green but after an hour of this and a second visit to the Punxsutawney Historical & Genealogical Museum for a second time, there was not much else to see in Punxsutawney so I headed for Indiana to check in early at my hotel and visit the Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana, PA. That was an interesting experience as I did not know much about his past or his military service and that of his family.
Punxsutawney Phil seeing his shadow in 2024.
My Groundhog’s Day blog in Punxsutawney, PA in 2016 and 2024:
(this also gives you my visits to see Staten Island Chuck and Edwina of Essex in New York City and New Jersey respectively and all the museums and cultural sites that surround them).
I was spending the night at the Quality Inn in Indiana, PA and knew nothing about the town when I booked the trip. All I know is that the hotel room was reasonable and it was away from the crowds of Punxsutawney. Indiana is a much different town. Its downtown is vibrant and lively with all sorts of shops and restaurants.
It is a college town, home to the University of Indiana, PA and the County seat of Indiana County. It is also home to actor Jimmy Stewart and his namesake museum is right downtown. For a small community, it has wonderful restaurants and three small museums to visit. Just watch the parking downtown. I got a ticket because I thought the parking was free like it is in New Jersey on a Saturday. I had to mail in a $12.00 ticket when the meter ran out.
Before I checked into the Quality Inn, I checked out the Jimmy Stewart Museum at 835 Philadelphia Street, which is the main street of Indiana. It is part of the library complex and is an interesting museum on the actor’s life in town and in Hollywood. In this tiny space was the story of the actor’s life and the contributions both he and his family made to the community.
The Jimmy Stewart Museum at 835 Philadelphia Street
After the museum, I walked around the downtown to explore all the stores and restaurants and enjoyed looking at all the historical buildings in the downtown.
Historic Downtown Indiana, PA.
Just off the downtown with the historical homes and churches near the Historical Society.
I got back to the Quality Inn Hotel just south of the downtown and went back to relax for the rest of the evening. I slept really well considering that I had not gotten much sleep the night before. After a good breakfast, it was off to visit the Indiana Historical & Genealogical Society. That was an interesting little museum.
The entrance to the Historical and Genealogical of Indiana County at 621 Wayne Avenue.
The Indiana Historical & Genealogical Society was a small but interesting museum that told the story of the town from the time of the Native Americans to the era of the mining companies dominating industry to modern day life.
The front gallery of the museum.
The galleries flowed though the history of the town from its successes of the coal mining companies and conditions and strikes that came with it to its modern day era as a college town.
The development of the unions.
The second-floor Military exhibition covered from the area’s participation in the Revolutionary War through WWII. The area’s population saw more than their fair share of action during the wars.
The Military display
After I toured the museum, I walked outside and toured around the grounds and looked over the Crawford House which is a Victorian home that is part of the Society. This is only open for special tours and during the holidays.
The Crawford House
I toured the downtown quick enough to realize that I had gotten a ticket when I left my car in a downtown parking spot too long. So much for free parking on the weekends. Be very careful when parking in Downtown Indiana. There are no signs posted about parking hours especially if you are from out of town.
I left Indiana and made my way back to Punxsutawney for one last tour of the town. Things had calmed down a lot since the previous day but still the Green was busy with food trucks, outdoor vendors and bands. There was still a sizable crowd in town.
The Green in Downtown Punxsutawney.
I revisited the Punxsutawney Historical & Genealogical Society, touring the Bennis House, the other historic home that was part of the museum. It gave me a chance to really tour the house and admire the displays. Both houses display such interesting artifacts on the local history.
The Bennis Mansion
The Punxsutawney Historical & Genealogy Society at 400-401 West Mahoning Street
The Bennis House is filled with historical furnishings, artwork and had an interest dollhouse display that expanded through many rooms.
The Log Cabin dollhouse in the Dining Room.
The museum takes you on a journey through the excesses of the Victorian Age in the town with its growth from coal mining through the generations of the Bennis family who lived here until the 1980’s.
The Lattimer Mansion across the street most of the Society’s collection of local, Native American and Groundhog’s Day memorabilia. Some of this is on the Groundhog’s Club and the other display cases is on the movie (which was not shot here). It is an interesting little museum.
The history of Groundhogs Day in Punxsutawney.
The museum is very unrated in that there are so many interesting displays shown throughout each building and so much local history on how important this area once was for industry and travel and not just for the groundhog’s Day celebration.
The display from the movie “Groundhogs Day” with Bill Murray.
After another quick tour of downtown, I stopped for lunch at Punky’s Pizza for lunch. I could not leave town again without having one of their fantastic calzones. That alone is worth the trip.
This amazing little pizzeria is in one of the nicest historical buildings in Punxsutawney and was extremely busy during the Groundhog festivities. The couple of times I have eaten here the food was excellent and the family who run the pizzeria are super nice.
The entrance to Punxsy Pizza
Knowing that I had an almost three hour journey in front of me I needed a good lunch and their calzones more than met that.
The Punxsy Pizza calzone could feed two people.
God, I love coming here when I am in town and I swear the night before Groundhog’s Day and on Groundhogs Day you will wait in line to get in here.
These taste even better than the picture.
After my tour of the Green again and lunch, I took a quick stop at the Community Center to see about ten minutes of the last showing of the film “Groundhog’s Day”, it was off to Mahanoy City for the next day’s tour and church services.
When I left Punxsutawney, I took the longer way through the Amish farms and the back roads passing through small farming towns. The Amish have really turned some these small communities around.
As they have moved in and taken over some of dying communities, they have made the farms vibrant again and these tiny towns with their historic churches and cemeteries and tiny downtowns are seeing new life. The homes are all being renovated and rebuilt and new businesses are sprouting up catering to the new residents.
It was interesting to see the young families in horse drawn carts driving through the roads and leaving the farms on business and to church continue their traditions in communities that were left for dead since the 1970’s. You see this transformation in each of the small towns that I passed. It will be interesting to see what this area looks like in the Spring and early Summer when everything starts growing again.
I finally reached Route 80 again, that never ending highway back to the eastern part of Pennsylvania. I got to my hotel in the early evening with the trip taking longer than I thought. It was dark by the time I got to the Comfort Inn.
The Comfort Inn in Mahanoy City/Frackville, PA.
The Comfort Inn in Frackville/Barnesville, PA at 1252 Morea Road.
This hotel may be ten years old but I swear I thought it was brand new. They take such good care of it and it is such a welcoming place. The rooms were bigger than I thought and even had small kitchens and sitting areas for business. This made this convenient to get work done. They just need more outlets and better Wi-Fi. I slept like a log that evening and did not want to get up for church services. I had not slept that well in a long time. The beds were so comfortable you will want to stay in bed all day.
After I dressed for church that morning, I went down for breakfast. Hotels are having this annoying habit since COVID of closing breakfast at 9:00am and that means having to wake up earlier than you want. The breakfasts at the Comfort Inn were well worth it.
The breakfast buffet at the Comfort Inn.
After a long travel the night before and not being hungry when I arrived at the hotel, I was starved the next morning.
They had lots of choices.
I dived right in knowing that after church services I would be on my way traveling through the three towns before my trip home. I love breakfast!
The eggs and sausage on the line.
I think I had three breakfasts that morning.
I settled on the homemade waffles to start.
After hitting the buffet about four times ( the other guests seemed perplexed at this guy in a suit going back to the buffet so many times), it was off to Sunday services at St. Mary’s Byzantine Church.
This is our family church on my mother’s side of the family and I had not been here since Easter services fifty years ago. We had visited our great aunt and her family at Easter and had come to services here that day. Even in such a depressed town, it is one of the most beautiful churches I had seen.
I swear that I had to park a block away and I had seen better condition housing in Paterson, NJ and that is saying a lot. People here have no respect for their homes and treat them horribly (that is the kind word I use when blogging).
The inside of the church is a contrast of worlds as it is a beautiful place of refuge from the outside community. I had never seen such elegant and detailed artwork with paintings, statuary and iron work. This was a church built to make a statement.
The inside of the church before services.
The front of St. Mary’s Byzantine Church before service started.
I had time before services started and was just stunned not only at the beauty of the inside of the church but on the vibrancy of the artwork and the colorful, elaboration on the way it celebrates God. This church was built with a very different mindset than some of the Catholic Churches I have been to over the years.
The ceiling and chandelier’s.
The stained glass windows were artwork on to themselves and the banners were so vibrant.
The stained glass windows.
The banners were interesting to look at up closely.
The beauty of the banners.
The banners that line the front of the church.
When I walked around the church admiring the artwork, I caught the attention of many of the regular parishioners who were probably not used to seeing such over dressed person in a suit and tie at church. After services were over, more than one person walked up to me to ask who I was.
Celebrating God with respect.
The artwork along the walls and ceiling were gorgeous.
The back of the church.
Walking up to the altar after services were over.
Catholic services are very different from the Byzantine Catholics from the Roman Catholics. The lecture is continuous without stopping for anything. The priest talks and talks and then you sing, cross yourself and then talk again. It is not like being in a Roman Catholic church where it is stand up, sit down and then stand up again and keep repeating that all through the service. It was a lot of chanting and almost singing your way through the service. I was not used to a hour long service that was continuous. It was a different way of looking at the same service. Very different from the Reformed service I sat through for the Epiphany.
The Sunday Pentecost Services 2020.
After the services were over, I had a chance to talk to Reverend Carroll and the other parishioners, who were dying to know who I was and what I was doing here. It was like new blood had arrived. It was a very interesting morning service.
After the services were over, I ran back to the hotel to change and then I started my tour of the three towns that surrounded the mine. This would be an interesting experience in life in a mining community and discovering my roots in this part of Pennsylvania. Even though my family is from Hazelton, it is still a similar experience.
My first stop was up the road past Mahanoy City to Cemetery Hill where all the church’s graveyards were located overlooking the valley. I had thought this was an odd place for a set of cemeteries but things must have been different in town when they were created and maybe they wanted them out of sight. Frankly, the dead have the best views of the area.
I went to pay my respects to my Great-Grandparents. my Godparents and my second cousin and great uncle who were all buried in the family plot on the hill. It was very touching and humbling to visit my family here. I was always told that they know you visit and you know when they are there. I got got a good feeling to let my family know that they are not forgotten. I feel the same way on Christmas Eve when I visit the cemeteries by my home.
The St. Mary’s Byzantine Cemetery up on the hill overlooking the valley.
This is only the second time I have been here. The first time that I came here, I was just passing through in 2016 and the priest took me up to the cemetery. It was a cold, very gloomy and misty afternoon. With all the mist, it looked like something out of a horror film. This time around the visit was a bright sunny afternoon and could admire the views from the hill. You could see the working mine in the background from the hill.
After my visit to my family, I made my way back to downtown Mahanoy City to walk around and see what the town was all about. Talk about depressed. It was sad to see so many of the houses here were falling apart as well as most of the businesses are closed. I counted two pizzerias (that both had horrible TripAdvisor reviews), a Chinese restaurant and two bars that you had to be buzzed into. Most of the businesses on the Main Street were closed or boarded up. The tiny Historical Society was shut tight on a weekend and on a late Sunday afternoon there was not much open.
Downtown Mahanoy City on a Sunday afternoon.
Here and there were some bright spots. A few of the businesses including the florist from the last trip here were still open. There was an open park near the high school and when you drove up Cemetery Road towards the back of the city up on the hill, there were two blocks of homes where the houses were in pristine shape like its own little enclave. That’s why I think St. Mary’s Church was such a treasure. Such beauty in the middle of all of this.
I did come across this interesting monument on dedicated to the “Molly Maguire’s”, a militant group of miners who protested the mine owners.
The plaque dedicated to the men who faced such hardship “The Molly Maguires”
The statue in the display of intolerance of the “Molly Maguires”.
Near the sculpture was also home to the B & B I had planned to stay out but was closed for renovations and for the season, the Kaier Mansion B & B.
The Kaier Mansion was once home to a Brewery millionaire. Now it just sits in the middle of the downtown. It is funny how the beautiful sits among the business district. Maybe for a future stay. This is at 729 West Centre Street in Downtown Mahanoy City, PA.
After my walk around the downtown area and getting some strange looks from the few residents that I saw and who all managed to say hello to me, I left to explore the next town that surrounded the mine, Shenandoah.
Driving through Shenandoah was a bit better than Mahanoy City. The lower part of the downtown was a bit more vibrant than Mahanoy City and there were more businesses that were open (but not on this Sunday). There was a small section down by their Historical Society where I could see a block of buildings that had been renovated and there were a few restoration businesses and some ‘hipster’ businesses across the street. It looked a group of artists had moved in and were trying to do something so there was some hope here.
One of the highlights of Downtown Shenandoah was the Pennsylvania Anthracite Miners Memorial on the northern section of the main street in a small park that was not well maintained. This beautiful memorial to the memory of the miners who sacrificed their lives for the mines were honored here. The memorial was life size and just amazing in its details.
The Anthracite Miner’s Memorial in Shenandoah, PA.
The Anthracite Miner’s Memorial dedicated to the miners who dedicated their lives to the field.
As I exited out of Shenandoah down Route 924, I passed the area where they were strip mining and wondered what that was really doing to the environment and to the current roster of miners who were still working in the mines. Blaschak Anthracite is still mining this area and you can see the open mines from the highway. This is the company these towns were created for. It made me wonder what these three towns must have been like when it was still a vibrant industry and all the other manufacturing had not left the area.
The last town that I traveled through on the way back to Route 81 and then home was Frackville, another small mining town that again had more life in it than Mahanoy City but not by much. The core of the town was falling apart like the other two towns. There again was more small businesses trying to keep it together but it was not until you got closer to the highway exit that there was some vibrance to the town. It just seemed that the closer you got the main roads, the more people could hop on and then off.
One of the institutions that I do remember outside the church from my childhood is the Famous Dutch Kitchen at the Route 61 exit by Route 81 in Frackville. I remember coming here with my parents back in the 1970’s when we visited my great aunt and her family. I still order the same thing when I come here, the Turkey Croquettes with Mashed Potatoes and their vegetable, usually corn but I had canned string beans that did not measure up.
To start my traditional lunch in Frackville, I waited to have lunch here. I still tasted those croquettes from eight years earlier in 2016 when visiting the Groundhog and had waited for them again. They never miss. This restaurant has good old-fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch cooking which I love.
The Dutch Kitchen Restaurant at 433 South Leigh Avenue in Frackville just off Route 61 and 81.
I always have to start with the homemade Pierogi with a side of sour cream. These are a real treat when they are cooked in butter and a little onion. They are so light and delicious. With a couple dabs of the sour cream makes them even better.
The potato pierogi with sour cream on the side
For my main part of the meal, I ordered the Turkey Croquettes with mashed potatoes which was the first thing I ordered here when I was a kid. They still taste the same with the wonderful turkey gravy on the top of both them and the mashed potatoes. The green beans were straight out of can and I should have never ordered them. I thought they would be fresh.
The Turkey Croquettes with Mashed Potatoes and turkey gravy with a side of string beans.
This is the best late lunch on a cool afternoon. I was thinking about these since I left Punxsutawney. There are just some places that stick with you over the years and the Turkey Croquettes at the Dutch Kitchen is one of those things. They are that good!
For dessert, I bypass all the Apple and Cherry pies and the cakes for the Shoo Fly Pie, which they make homemade here. It is so good with the savory taste of the molasses and the buttery crust is the perfect combination to satisfy any sweet tooth.
The Shoo Fly Pie at Dutch Kitchen is so good!
The one thing I really love about this place is the prices are so reasonable. They do not gouge people like restaurants by me. The whole bill with the tip was less then $15.00. I actually gave the waitress a bigger tip because I felt she earned it she was so attentive.
It was the perfect way to end my adventure through coal country. It to me is a step back into time to a part of my life that I am revisiting from a Easter vacation long ago. It is nice that some things don’t change.
While time has done a number on these three towns, here and there are special gems in each of them. The places look like they are falling apart but it is the resilience of the people who live there and the small business owners who are keeping the spirit alive. You just have to see the special things that are tucked here and there.
I will keep coming back to return to my roots and discover more about this area of Pennsylvania.
Groundhog’s Day in 2024:
My review on Exploring Punxsutawney, PA for Groundhog’s Day:
Something drew me back to the area for Easter the next year. Maybe I did not get to see enough of the area in one day and wanting to revisit sites that were closed. Another was of an Easter memory from fifty years ago when my family joined my Great Aunt at the family church, St. Mary’s Byzantine, for Easter services when we were children. I still remember that night service as a little kid and just wanted to see it again.
I had always planned on going back but it was tough to travel with family commitments and other plans that came up. I finally had an open holiday and then put together a game plan and the got going. Another thing that I missed out on was visiting the small museums in the area that always seemed closed the last two times I visited. I was able to get in touch with one Board member of a small museum in Mahanoy City and he got in touch with the other places that I wanted to visit so I had appointments the first two days.
Then there were Easter church services at St. Mary’s Byzantine Church. When the Reverend for the church called me back on services, he informed me of both the Saturday night Mass, which is the one I was taken to fifty five years ago and the Sunday Mass, so they were also part of the plan.
I got off early that Good Friday afternoon, having to be in Mahanoy City by 1:00pm for my first tour and as I toured down Route 80, the warm weather was finally hitting us and all the buds were bursting on the trees and flowers as I drove through the Delaware Water Gap.
Traffic was not that bad on Good Friday and I made it to Mahanoy City by noon and headed to the cemetery to pay my Easter respects to my Great-Grandparents, and my Aunts, Uncles and Cousin who were buried in the family plot up on the hill over looking the town of Mahanoy City, PA.
The peacefulness of the cemetery during the day when it was sunny and nice. You can see the mines from this part of the hill.
Paying my respects to my family
It is a very humbling experience when you face family members whom you have never met or were once part of your life over thirty years ago. Still you should let your family members know that you still care.
Seeing the past and the present at the cemetery on Good Friday. It’s funny to see where my roots lie
After I paid my respects, I checked into my hotel where I would be staying for the weekend. I highly recommend the Comfort Inn Barnesville at 1252 Morea Road in Barnesville, PA. It is one of the few places to stay in the area.
I lucked out and got a terrific room on the first floor and rested for a bit. The rooms may be reserved but the beds at Comfort Inns you will sleep so soundly in. I had the best night’s sleep for the next two days.
Don’t underestimate the rooms at the Comfort Inn. It was a wonderful stay!
After a good rest and unpacking, I met my tour guide for the afternoon. Paul, who was one of the Board members of the museum met me in Downtown Mahanoy City. What is sad about Mahanoy City is how depressed the town is and the sheer potential the town has as an incubator for cottage industry.
Downtown Mahanoy City could be more with some splashes of paint and better signage
Paul and I met and said our hellos and then drove to Downtown Shenandoah, PA for our tour of the Greater Shenandoah historical Society Museum at 201 South Main Street.
The Greater Shenandoah Area Historical Society Museum at 201 South Main Street
I have to say that was extremely impressed with all the cultural sites that I visited over the weekend. These communities are hiding these ‘little gems” when they don’t use social media or a modern website. Still the couple that run this museum do a wonderful job and could not have been more welcoming to me.
We were at the museum for about an hour with the curator and wife as they walked me through all the exhibitions of this interesting museum.
The main front gallery
Each of vignettes had a different theme from old businesses of the community to the impact of Mining on the community to the booms and busts of the economy and to daily living in the community of Shenandoah, PA.
The Mining exhibition
Mining was the source of the economy and when the mines were at their peak of production so was the community which once boasted over 20 jewelry stores and clothing stores catering to the various incomes of the workers.
The Religious/Church Room
Religion was a big factor of the community and the Religious Room of the museum has one of the most impressive and extensive collections of items at a time when religion and worship was separated by ethnic group by country of origin and type of religion practiced. When all these churches started to close and consolidate with intermarriages and modern times, the museum was able to collect all their objects.
Life in a Mining home
Life in a Mining town was not easy especially to a Mining housewife, who had to do a lot with little. Even for every rung on the ladder, the life of a homemaker and wife was a lot of work and the display shows times of limited water in households, the start of electricity in the homes and modern conveniences after the war years.
The Shenandoah High School memorabilia
The Shenandoah High School had a very prominent place in the local community and there has been pride in the education of this small town.
The formalities of daily life of the middle class
The museum really does a nice job showing the booms and busts of a one industry town and each exhibit has great detail to explain its story (please see my blog ‘VisitingaMuseum.com) for information on this museum.
After the tour was over, the couple explained some of the new businesses coming to the town and optimism in a town that is seeing a slow rebirth. I could see that with the renovation of buildings surrounding the museum.
The gentrifying part of downtown
The possibilities of the old downtown are right there
After the tour and before we headed back to Mahanoy City, I took Paul to lunch as a thank you for arranging everything for me. He suggested Francesca’s Ristorante & Pizzeria at 10 North Main Street. The food was excellent.
Francesco’s Ristorante & Pizzeria at 10 North Main Street
The pizza here is excellent. We both had Cheese slices and shared an order of Fried Pierogi. Talk about a nice relaxing meal. Their red sauce is the best and really was well spiced.
Lunch that afternoon
The Cheese pizza is excellent and full of flavor
The Fried Pierogi were from Mrs. T’s down the road
Over lunch, Paul was explaining the challenges that these towns were facing with the economy. I could see that with a dwindling mine presence and low level warehouse jobs popping up. The towns also had a possibility of small cottage industries opening and arts communities blossoming but you had to make a commitment to all these. I think he saw this as well.
After lunch, we headed back and then we toured the Mahanoy Area Historical Society Museum at 1 West Centre Street #5. I discovered what a beautifully organized and well designed little museum they created in honoring Mahanoy City’s past.
The Mahanoy Area Historical Society Museum at 1 West Centre Street
The inside of the museum dedicated to the Mining industry
The Mining industry was the driving force of this town
A large portion of the collection on the school system
The collection of memorabilia from the Mahanoy City schools was extensive and interesting
The main gallery
The museum does a nice job telling the story of Mahanoy City and the various aspects of the community. While not as big as the museum in Shenandoah, this museum has its own stories to tell and shows the progression of the town to hopefully the next chapter in its development.
After we left the museum that afternoon and planned to meet again the next afternoon, I decided to walk around town and take pictures. Just like Shenandoah, as an outsider, I can see a lot of potential in these towns. Not just for business but in tourism as well. I really think the mines themselves should offer tours to show how the modern mining industry operates.
I then toured around the town, taking pictures of exterior businesses that did not have pictures on TripAdvisor and some of the historical sites hidden in the town. The first one was the Silliman Mansion, once home to a prominent family who owned many businesses in town, now part of the water company.
The former Silliman Mansion is now offices at 46 North Main Street
Then I walked all over the town, looking at the homes and businesses many of which could use better signage and a splash of paint.
Looking down Main Street during the afternoon
I then walked down Centre street to look at the former Kaier family mansion, the home of the brewery family who company site I had just visited where there was nothing left. The house is now a bed and breakfast.
The former Kaier mansion at 729 East Centre Street
The home was built for the Kaier brewery family. I wondered why they would build a home in the downtown center and after the tour of the town it became clear. Proximity of walking to the brewery and to make a statement to the town of ‘here we are’.
The Kaier Mansion plaque
The front of the mansion in the early Spring
I then walked down Centre Street which is the main avenue of town to the Molly Maguires Park. This is a monument to the Irish miners who fought against the oppression of the mining bosses and dangerous conditions of the mines. The park sends a bold statement of who these men were and their story.
After my tour of the town on my own, I went back to the hotel to relax and ended up falling asleep. It had been a long day of running around and I read for a bit and went to bed.
I have to credit Comfort Inn on one of the best night’s sleep in a long time. I slept so soundly that I barely wanted to get up. Also the hotel has a very nice complimentary breakfast buffet with waffles, sausage and eggs. Not fancy but a good way to start the day.
The breakfast buffet
The waffle bar in the morning
Creating a Sausage and Egg bagel sandwich. I love breakfast!
Paul and I met the next day for a morning tour of the Smith Mansion, a beautiful home on the edge of town and the home of the Smith family.
The mansion is not a museum per se in the traditional sense. It is someone’s personal home that I was given permission to tour and this is through appointment only. The tour of the home is well worth it. The owner has put such wonderful care in maintaining this large home even going as far as buying the Smith descendants coach, oil portraits and family photos so they are preserved in the house.
The owners greeted us on the front porch and then we entered the home. They had been moving the gating around and that’s when J realized that this was a private home.
The owner and his partner explained that they bought the house from the family descendants. What I thought was interesting is that they also bought the couch and family photos and portraits. I guess all the family heirlooms meant nothing to them. Still they looked so nice staying in the home.
The family couch and portraits still remain in the house as they should had.
The beautiful Living Room and Dining room
The detailed Dining Room
The Smith Family in 1890
The Arboretum on the Third floor in the Tower Room
The Library on the second floor
The Music Box in the Library
The video of the Music Box playing
After we toured all three floors, we finished the tour in their Rock Garden in the back of the house. The flowers were just starting to bloom.
The Walled Rock Garden in the back of the house
The face staring at me in the wall
This is where we ended the tour. The owners explained that there is. Lot of upkeep to the home which I agree. Anytime you buy a home like this be prepared to work.
After the house tour, Paul took me on a tour of the area, taking me through parks, small lake communities and around the Mining factory, explaining to me how the community functions. It was an interesting tour and I told him they should do this for a special event at his museum.
We said our goodbyes and then I left for some lunch. Since some of the restaurants were not open yet and I was tired of eating pizza, I went to New Hunan House in Downtown Mahanoy City. The place so cheery from the outside I figured a new family must have opened it. It did not look this nice when I had passed through in the previous February.
After lunch, I decided to explore the three towns that surrounded the mine. The first thing I did was walk around Mahanoy City and walked around the downtown and some of the side streets. The town is very worn. You could see as employment at the mine declined so did the towns around it. I could see this with all the pictures and displays at the museums. These were once vibrant communities with strong retail bases.
Downtown Mahanoy City on a quiet afternoon
After I worked off lunch, I drove over to Shenandoah and walked their downtown again. The museum was closed and it did not seem that a lot of stores were open either on the Saturday before Easter.
There is a lot of potential in Downtown Shenandoah. You can see this in the architecture.
I visited the Miner’s Memorial again which sits at the top of the downtown. This beautiful memorial I have visited on my trips to Shenandoah and is a testament to its mining past.
The sad part of this small park is its condition. It always has so much garbage and needs a good sweeping.
I find this monument very touching and think about how my family though a hundred years ago was once part of this tradition.
After walking all of Shenandoah’s downtown and some of the side streets, I drove to Frackville to see their downtown. It was just as depressed as the other two towns but like Mahanoy City and Shenandoah, you will see those hidden gems, the clever pieces of art snd and a few wonderful restaurants.
Downtown Frackville on the Saturday before Easter it was so quiet.
While walking around I came across Frontier Woman and Child which was once a sculpture in front of local restaurant
I also came across this sculpture for Easter in front of someone’s home
Walking the downtown area in Frackville is really a combination of small businesses mixed in with housing. There was not much to see and because of Easter the next day, most everything was closed in town. Even Dutch Kitchen, which I had looked forward to eating at on Easter, was going to be closed and closed early on Saturday night.
I got back to the room around five and relaxed until 7:30pm and arrived for the evening Easter church service at St. Mary’s Byzantine Church at 621 West Mahanoy Street. The church was busier than the two times I had been there in the past and most people were dressed up.
St. Mary’s Byzantine Church at 621 West Mahanoy Street
The inside of the church on Holy Saturday for mass
The Alter at the church decorated for Easter
The beauty of the Alter
The doors lead to where the scriptures and readings are done during the ceremony
The Alter was decorated for Easter
The service was really nice and the church was so beautifully decorated with flowers for the Easter services. I did not realize that the formal services were on the Saturday night before Easter. This was the service I went to with my mother and Great Aunt fifty-five years ago.
It was an hour and a half service of singing and chanting in both English and Slavic, which I was not used to as it differed so much from the Roman Catholic services.
It is such a beautiful church too with all the stained glass, beautiful Alters and even the doors were really elaborate. It was going back in a Time Machine to 1975. After the service was over, I went with the other parishioners to the meeting room next to the church for the ‘Blessing of the Baskets’, where the priest blesses the food for the Easter dinner.
The blessings of the baskets
The blessing of the baskets
After the blessing, I went back to the hotel and went to bed. I was going to be back for the Sunday services as well for Easter Day.
After an excellent night’s sleep and a good breakfast I arrived at the church for Easter Day Mass which was similar but shorter than the formal mass the night before.
Arriving Easter morning at St. Mary’s Byzantine Church at 621 West Mahanoy Street
The front of the church with the picture of St. Mary
The inside of the church
The stained glass window in the front of the church
The cross by the Alter
The stained glass and paintings over the door way
The stained glass and paintings over the other doorway
The banner by the front of the church
The beautiful insides of the church at Easter
The elegant details of the church
It was a nice service and I am glad that I was able to come to both masses. It was a nice way to spend Easter. After services were over, I said my goodbyes to Reverend Carroll and headed back to the hotel, changed and checked out.
The service has not been posted yet but this one is similar to the one I experienced
Since I had some time on my hands, I decided to take a drive around the area. Most places were closed for Easter, so I traveled to the town of Tamaqua, PA just south of Mahanoy City and just walked around the downtown. The owners of the Smith Mansion said that this was the up and coming arts town, so I walked all over the downtown.
The sign welcoming you to Tamaqua, PA
It’s a nice historic looking downtown but nothing out of the ordinary. It has some beautiful buildings and a nice looking theater of the arts.
The river running through the downtown
The historic downtown
The historic firehouse downtown
The Tamaqua Arts Theater, the catalyst of the Arts district at 125 Pine Street in Downtown Tamaqua, PA
Literally nothing was open and like myself, the last of the people were arriving home from church and there were very few people walking around. So I headed home taking the back roads and the local highway through MacAdoo and Hazelton, where my family was from. They were just as quiet.
I got back to New Jersey in record time and was back to the Delaware Water Gap in less than an hour.I was getting hungry at this point and took a detour down the Route 46 East Highway to see if any of my favorite spots might be open for Easter.
Humpty Jrs. Was closed but Hot Dog Johanny’s in Buttzville, NJ was open and packed with cars. I made the stop and had my Easter dinner there.
I love their hot dogs and fries and another part of my childhood memories having come here in the early 1970’s. I must have had the same idea as everyone else because the crowds kept coming while was eating.
My Easter lunch, a deep fried Hot Dog and French Fries and an icy Birch Beer
I swear the menu had not changed in fifty years
The hot dogs here are amazing
So are the fries
The views by the river are spectacular
The views up stream as well
There is nothing like sitting outside on a warm sunny day with a hot dog. This was the best Easter dinner. Just relaxing and delicious. After I finished my meal, I walked the grounds on this early Spring and admired the river and all the buds bursting. It really was a beautiful day.
I continued up Route 46, passing all the places I had visited before. Even Hackettstown was quiet with only a few restaurants open. I needed something sweet to complete my meal and remembered that Dover Dairy Maid was up Route 46. I took a chance and they were open too and crowded.
I love the homemade ice cream here and their fresh whipped cream. I got a medium Sundae and since they give you a choice of flavors, I tried the Birthday Cake, the Cotton Candy and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough(all of which I highly recommend. I just sat around the picnic tables and ate watching families come and go. I guess everyone was like myself, just enjoying a nice afternoon of out.
The ice cream here is amazing
Yum!
After I was done, I headed home. It had been a productive and relaxing weekend and the change of of pace was really nice.
I have been coming to the Turtle Back Zoo since I was in elementary school when we used to come here on field trips. I remember as a child having lunch on the lawn with my class and feeding the animals. That was back in the 1970’s with the old zoo set up. I had read that the zoo was falling apart by 1995 and they were ready to close it down. Like anything else, these zoos and parks need an update every few years to keep them relevant.
In 2000, as master plan was started in what direction the zoo wanted to go and in the next twenty years, I have seen the results of that hard work. You have many nicer displays, some still being too…
I know that this is not the traditional American holiday but somehow, I really enjoy Groundhog’s Day. It is a lot of fun to visit the zoos and if you ever can go out to Punxsutawney, PA to see the original festival try to do it. I went to Punxsutawney in 2016 and it really is an experience. It is one of those things you should do once in your life. I have been wanting to go back ever since but one thing after another has kept me from going. From the weather to my work schedule, it is tough to take the eight-and-a-half-hour hike down Route 80 but one day I will do it again.
COVID cancelled everything last year but since this is an outdoor event, it was nice to be celebrating the day being able to breathe again. I also wanted to do something different this year after going to the Staten Island Zoo for two years (2019 and 2020-see my write up on this blog). I had read about other Groundhog’s Day festivals and in 2019 I had heard about ‘Essex Ed’ at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, NJ.
The entrance of Turtle Back Zoo at 560 Northfield Avenue
The festival at the zoo had been cancelled last year because of the pandemic and when I looked at their website this year and nothing was mentioned. When I called, the woman on the phone said there would be a ceremony at the zoo at 10:00am so I prepared to go to the zoo the next day.
In 2022, I had planned for what I thought would be an hour trip with traffic going through Newark, NJ and then the turn to Route 280 West. I walked out the door at 8:15am and ended up at the zoo at 9:00am. There was just a bit of traffic when I got into Downtown Newark and it was smooth driving when I got to Exit 10 and then no traffic into West Orange, NJ. This is where Turtle Back Zoo is located.
What surprised me when I got to the zoo was there was no one waiting to get in, no massive number of cars in the parking lot and when I got to the gate at 9:15am, there was no one there. One of the park employees said that they would be opening the gate at 9:45am and then they would start the program at 10:00am.
The entrance of the South Mountain Reservation Park
Since I had almost 45 minutes before the gates would even open, I decided to take a walk around the reservoir that is part of the South Mountain Reservation Park. It was about a mile around the frozen watershed, and I walked about half before I headed back to buy my ticket. What a cool crisp morning. The sun started to peek out as I walked back to the zoo and the woods looked so beautiful with the snow on the ground and trees.
The park in the early afternoon at the bridge
The early morning at the park was rather gloomy
I got into the zoo at 9:45am and headed to the antitheater and there was a small handful of people. It ended up the only people at the ceremony were the volunteer docents, the staff of the zoo, the local politicians and the press. There were maybe six of us who had come for the event. I remembered that there was nothing on the zoo’s website two days before so how would the public know this would be taking place?
Unlike the pageantry of Punxsutawney with bands and comedians and even the children’s choir like at the Staten Island Zoo, the whole ceremony took ten minutes. The county parks commission said a few words, then the County Executive said a few words and then the zoo events commissioner spoke.
The ceremony was held inside in 2023 because it was so cold
Then they introduced “Edwina from Essex”, who had replaced “Essex Ed” this year upon his retirement. I was not sure if the other groundhog was just too old or something else, but the new groundhog came out and was so cute and innocent. She just walked around the small platform and then looked at all of us. The parks commission read a poem from the groundhog. Then it was announced that she predicted an early spring! Everyone applauded and then that was it. Everyone dispersed.
Edwina of Essex at the Turtle Back Zoo made her appearance today
I was a little surprised that there was not more to the ceremony but later I talked with one of the staff members of the zoo and she told me that there are never that many people who come to this ceremony. I told her that more people would come if they made a bigger deal out of it. There was nothing on the website or on the events calendar leading the to the event and that I had to call in. She just smiled.
In 2023, I called in advance as the website said it was now 8:00am. I confirmed that time with the zoo and arrived before 8:00am. I was able to enter the press area which was inside as the press conference was inside as well (it was really cold that morning). The ceremony again took about fifteen minutes and the handler, the Zoo Director and the Country Freeholder and Executive all said a few words as Edwina munched on a sweet potato, not really paying much attention to us as the sweet potato. Again it was a cute ceremony and when the zoo opened, I was able to tour it again and take better pictures.
Edwina with her trainer on the morning of the ceremony
I had not been to the zoo in about five years, and I just walked around for the next hour watching the animals. I started at the Reptile House and looked at all the lizards and snakes since they were in season right now. The staff was available to us if there were any questions. It was nicely set up and I have to say that those snakes and lizards really do look you over.
The Turtle Back Zoo is a nice walk in the winter
I made my way past the closed carousel and the restaurant, The Savanna Cafe and looked over the bison display. That was very interesting as it was feeding time for them, so they paid no attention to us. I then went to the flamingo pond and what elegant birds. They were talking to one another like we were not there watching them. They just walked around and talked amongst themselves.
The pink flamingos stood guard that afternoon
The wolves were not out, and the poor cougars looked so cold and bored. They just walked around in the snow. In the Petting Zoo, I watched the chickens and the goats.
The chickens were smart and stayed inside on this cold day
I have never had animals look me over the way the rams did. They just stared at me like I was an alien from Outer Space.
The animals just stared at me like I was a foreign being
The otters and seals were outside and were going through their feeding when I walked by, and they seemed very active. They just watched us as they were eating and then swam in the pools but again, I could see how cold they were outside, and they made their way into their burros.
The pelicans in the Penguin House swam around
I walked to the Penguin House and that was a lot of fun. They were also going through their feeding and when they were done, they just dove around the small group of us and looking us over with curiosity. They also looked bored and were so happy to have someone to interact with that afternoon. They just swam right up to me and stared at me through the water. I felt like they were trying to tell me something with the way they were splashing around.
The penguins were doing their own thing that day
My last stop in the zoo was the Sea Turtle Recovery building. It was so nice to see the outreach that the zoo makes to help these animals get better before they are released back into the wild. We have been affecting their habitat so much with over-fishing that they are getting tangled in nets and hit by boats.
The whole tour of the zoo took about an hour and it was a nice walk. The sun had come out by this point and the skies started to clear. After I finished at the zoo, I decided to take a full walk around the reservoir and took a left and walked all around it. What a nice day for a stroll.
This poor cow just looked at me and begged me for help
I started getting hungry and did not know what was around the zoo. I had not noticed the pizzeria or the McDonalds across the street from the zoo when I entered. In 2023, I was starved after the ceremony and I headed over to McDonalds (which I had remembered from the year before) and had a second breakfast. I love that Sausage Mcmuffin with Egg!
I’m sorry but breakfast at McDonalds is wonderful!
My review of McDonalds at 573 Northfield Avenue in West Orange, NJ:
With the restaurant being closed in the zoo, in 2022 though, I stopped at McLoone’s Boathouse at 9 Cherry Lane on the other side of the reservoir from the zoo. It looked closed to me from the walk, but I heard music and decided to investigate. What a nice lunch in both 2022 and 2023!
McLoone’s Boathouse is right on the reservoir path located in the park and the bar area has the nicest views of the park. The inside of the restaurant was rustic with a main dining room with a roaring fire going in the fireplace. The large bar area had high-tops where you had views of the reservoir.
My server, Nikki, could not have been nicer. We had such a wonderful conversation, and she was so on top of things. She made some good recommendations for lunch, and I had a Grilled Cheddar Cheese with Short Ribs and a Coke.
McLoone’s sandwich menu
McLoone’s makes a Coke look fancy
The sandwich really hit the spot on a cool afternoon. You could taste the red wine that the short ribs had marinated in. It accented the sharp cheese so well and the crisp buttery bread. The side salad was a nice substitute for French fries (I ordered the same lunch both years).
The Grilled Cheese with Short Ribs at McLoone’s Boathouse is excellent!
While I was eating it was a pleasure to watch the people walk by having a nice stroll in the park. I can tell between COVID and the snow, people needed to get out of the house. Smiling faces were the thing that I saw as people passed by.
The view of the park with McLoone’s in the background
After I finished lunch, it was home for me. Even though it was a smaller ceremony, it was nice to see the groundhog again. Maybe ‘Edwina from Essex’ will be right, and it will be an early spring. The next six weeks will tell.
Happy Groundhog’s Day!
The ceremony at the Turtle Back Zoo with the handlers
Edwina doing her thing at the Groundhog’s Day ceremony
Edwina getting a treat from her handler
Edwina eating away
My other Groundhog’s Day blogs from previous years and places:
Day Thirty-Seven: Happy Groundhog’s Day from Punxsutawney, PA
Fee: Adults $10.00 (15 and older)/Seniors (60 and over) $7.00/Children (3-14) $6.00
I wanted to celebrate Groundhog’s Day this year and had fully planned to go to Punxsutaway, PA to see the Groundhog’s Day festival again (see Day Thirty-Seven of ‘MywalkinManhattan’) but a ‘Arctic Vortex’ swept all over the Midwest with its fringes reaching the middle of Pennsylvania. It would be 30 degrees on Groundhog’s Day with a temperature of 4 degrees that night. The thought of sitting in Gobbler’s Knob in almost 0 weather had no appeal to me and I changed my plans.
I had remembered that there was a festival on Staten Island at the Staten Island Zoo with ‘Staten Island Chuck’ on Groundhog’s Day so off I went early the next morning to see the…
I had planned to go out to Punxsutawney, PA again for Groundhog’s Day but the weather really turned this year. There was an Arctic Vortex (or whatever they are calling it this week) and the weather plunged in Pennsylvania. It was going to be 20 degrees on Groundhog’s Day (that meant 0 degrees that night) and raining when I would drive home on Sunday and I thought that would be over doing it for me.
The sunrise in Staten Island park near the zoo
The sun was rising in the park
I later saw that it did go up to 38 degrees that day in Punxsutawney, higher than expected but the overnight Friday night into Saturday was 4 degrees and sorry but the thought of standing in Gobbler’s Knob for five and a half hours in that weather was too much. I did that in 2016 in 30 degrees and that was bad enough. I will wait until next year (I did not go back until eight years later).
My blog on visiting Punxsutawney, PA in 2016 and 2024 for Groundhog’s Day:
I then remembered that we have our own Groundhog Festival here in the New York City area at the Staten Island Zoo with ‘Groundhog Chuck’, an event I had heard of in the past. So when I knew that driving to PA was out (I was assisting with the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department at the Marcal Paper Factory fire on Wednesday night January 30th, 2019-See The Brothers of Engine One Blog site on WordPress.com that I write), I went online and looked at the festival that they had at the Staten Island Zoo.
My blog on the Marcal Paper Fire right before Groundhog’s Day:
So on a cold morning, I got up at 3:30am in the morning to get ready to go to Staten Island. It was not too much better on an early Saturday morning here as well. It was 19 degrees (versus 4 in PA) in Staten Island but off I drove into the darkness. The trip to the Staten Island Zoo was not that bad. I got to the zoo in forty minutes and there was plenty of parking. I guess not as many people had the same idea that I had. There were only about six other cars in the lot when I arrived.
A group of about ten of us were waiting outside the back gate when someone finally came to the gate and told us we were at the wrong gate. It would have been nice if some zoo personal was directing people to the parking lot (which was dark with not a lot of signage to see) and had a sign to go to the front gate.
The front gate of the Staten Zoo on Groundhog’s Day 2024
When the ten of us got to the front gate we were lucky in that the TV crews had already set up and there were only about ten other people there at the time so we got great views of the stage.
Trust me this is WAY smaller than the festival in Punxsutawney, PA. There were about a hundred and fifty people there that I could see and that included the staff, the politicians, the choir from P.S. 29 and their parents and the crowd of us but that made it more intimate. You were not elbow to elbow with people and did not have to camp out for the night. The Staten Island Zoo did a nice job. I still think they should move it to a bigger area of the zoo so that the kids could see it. Also, it would have been nice to put the choir and the dancing Groundhog (a staff member dressed in a Groundhog costume) on the stage so that more people could have seen them.
The Zoo staff introduced some of the local politicians to the event. Some of them kept it short and sweet and a few others had to make it about themselves and bring up things in Washington DC, which I think at an event like this has no place for it. It is a family event.
Still one of the local politicians made a good MC for the event and then introduced a student from P.S. 29, who played the “Star-Spangled Banner” for us on her violin and that was followed by the P.S. 29 choir, who sang a song about Groundhog’s Day. It was really cute and the kids did a nice job entertaining the crowd (See the video below).
Groundhog’s Day 2019
The Groundhog Ceremony at the Staten Island Zoo 2019 (that’s me in the Spartan knit hat)
Then the band, “Rock a Silly” played their song for Staten Chuck and it was quite clever. (See the band’s video on YouTube below).
The Rock-A-Silly Band with their original song for “Staten Island Chuck” (I give the band full credit for this video-very clever guys!)
The band got the crowd really moving on this cold morning.
After all the entertainment, it was time to hear the report from Chuck and the handlers took him out. There was a little of a commotion and then the report came. In the middle of this ‘deep freeze vortex’ Chuck’s prediction was SPRING IS COMING! Everyone cheered loudly at that. With that, there was a little more entertainment, then I was off to tour the zoo.
The Staten Island Zoo is very nice even in the cold weather. I was able to go into the main building and see the monkey, the reptile and the aquarium exhibits, which were nicely displayed and labeled so that you knew what animals were what. The only problem with the zoo is the space is very limited and surrounded by houses so there is no room to expand, so the living space for the animals is small. Still they look happy and content.
I stopped at the Zoo Cafe for a doughnut ($1.00) and to look at the gift shop. They had an interesting ‘Staten Island Chuck’ stuffed groundhog ($12.00) that I had to keep myself from buying (I bought it in 2020).
The zoo gift shop is stocked with all sorts of ‘Chuck’ coloring books, tee shirts and little do-dads as well as plush animals, pencils, shirts and hats. The zoo cafe has the usual hamburgers, chicken fingers and fries on the menu that will appeal to any child.
The stuffed toy Staten Island Chuck I bought in 2020. It is a real must have from that day!
I walked around the zoo as it started to warm up (now 25 degrees) and went to the outside pens to see the pigs, donkey’s, kangaroos, emus, geese and ducks. The poor emus looked so cold that they were chasing after me with a look in their eyes like either I had food or was going to take them inside. I really felt for the animals in this cold.
The Staten Island Zoo during the winter months
By the time I left the zoo, it was 9:45am and the zoo still had not opened. There was myself and two other families left in the early hours zoo and by the time I got back to the parking lot, there were only six cars left.
It was so cold that even Chuck was not home. I think he was inside
Even though it was not the crowds of the event in Punxsutawney, PA, it was still a cute event that you should not miss on future Groundhog’s Day when you are visiting New York City. The Staten Island Zoo puts on a good show!
The Staten Island Zoo during the winter on Groundhog’s Day
Groundhog’s Day 2020:
In 2020, the ceremony was much toned down from the year before. First, the weather was much nicer than last year. I got up this year at 5:00am and was out the door by 6:15am. The zoo I found out last year is only thirty-five minutes from my house and I did not need to rush. The zoo does not have the crowds of Punxsutawney. Again there were about a hundred or so people at the zoo this morning and when the sun rose, it was warm and sunny about 43 degrees.
Looking over the stage on Groundhog’s Day
The ceremony was only twenty minutes this year. There was no band and no kids choir at the service. Being Super Bowl Sunday, it seemed to me that everyone wanted to get out of there and rushed the whole thing. There were the same politicians with the same lame jokes and it seemed that Speaker Corey Johnson is running for Mayor of New York City (Good Choice!). At least he admitted the jokes were lame and just wished everyone a Happy Groundhog’s Day.
The Groundhog’s Day sign at the Staten Island Zoo
Then they could not even get Chuck out of his Plexiglas pen to hold him up (the Groundhog kept running away. He probably didn’t like the jokes either), so they just announced the weather prediction of an early Spring and then they played a recording of the children’s choir singing and that was the program. We were done in about thirty minutes. It was so quick that a woman walked in with her son at 7:45am and asked if this was the ceremony. The guy standing next to me said that it was already over and they were packing up. She was a little pissed because she said to the guy that she just got dropped off with her son and her husband was parking the car. So much for pomp and circumstance!
The Staten Island Zoo Snack Shop
After the ceremony, I walked around the zoo again and visited with the monkey’s, kangaroos and sheep. The ostriches and Emu’s were rather friendly this year and seemed more chipper than last year, but it was because it was not as cold. In fact, most of the animals were out this year. So, I just enjoyed my time walking around the zoo and stopped into the Zoo Snack Shop and had another doughnut (Still $1.00) and just relaxes. This year I did buy the stuffed Chuck from the gift shop (he now sits prominently near my Dayton’s Santa Bear, Hamley’s Bear, Macy’s Snoopy and Brooks Brother’s Brooks Bear (I love retail stuffed animals).
Staten Island Zoo Gift Shop-Chuck is on the top shelf
Even the geese were cold on Groundhog’s Day
Groundhog’s Day in 2025:
The musical performance of the band live singing ‘Staten Island Chuck’:
The live musical performance at the event
There was also a second song about Groundhog’s Day:
The second song on Groundhog’s Day
The ceremony was a little on the long side because every politician had to chime in but still was a lot of fun:
The Opening Ceremony in 2025
The next person to talk was the Zoo Director:
The Staten Island Zoo directors speech
It was nice to welcome back the choir of P.S. 29 in Staten Island who had entertained us back in 2019. They had not been there in 2020 during the start of the pandemic.
The musical performance of P.S. 29
Senator Nicole Malliotakis giving a speech during the ceremony
The prediction of an early Spring:
The prediction was of an early Spring
Even Chuck looked happy
What a great day at the Staten Island Zoo
The Zoo also has a nice gift shop, where a ‘Staten Island Chuck’ stuffed animal will cost you $20.00 ( in 2020 I bought the little stuffed animal. It is really cute). There is also a restaurant with stand kid fare like chicken fingers and burgers in the afternoon hours. There selection of doughnuts are really good. For a dollar, it is worth the trip.
The Staten Island Zoo Snack Shop
The menu is very basic but the food is really good
I ate a early lunch at the Snack Shop and the food is very reasonable. I got a Grilled Cheese with Bacon with a side of French Fries and a Coke and it was really good. The selection of items are the typical items that appeal to children and adults alike.
The Grilled Cheese lunch at the Staten Island Zoo Snack Shop
I would highly suggest the Grilled Cheese with Bacon as savory and buttery and was really gooey. The perfect comfort food on a cold day.
The Grilled Cheese with Bacon was the perfect lunch on a cold day
The gift shop has a lot of fun things to buy and I did buy a Staten Island Chuck in 2020 when I visited the second time. It really is a great toy and memento of the event.
The stuffed Staten Island Chuck is the perfect gift to remember the event
Meanwhile in Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of Winter. It depends on who you want to listen to in the forecast. Once they finished the ceremony, everyone took pictures with Chuck and then they put the poor, cold guy away. It should be interesting 2025 what the weather will be in the next six weeks.
I walked around the zoo after the ceremony, starting by walking through the African, Tropical Forest and the Aquarium which were located towards the front of the zoo. I walked through the aquarium which is small but still nice and you are able to see many types of fish and plant life.
The Aquarium tanks at the zoo
The Aquarium tanks from the Asian River Tank
The Starfish tank in the tanks
The Pacific Kelp Forest with kelp and starfish
The Red Bellied Pacu fish display in the Jungle exhibition
The Pacu sign describing the fish
The Pacu fish in the display
In the African exhibition, I loved looking at the bearded monkeys who just looked back at me and then it was off to the reptile wing to look at snakes, turtles and frogs.
The display of the Lemur monkeys
The Lemur just stared at me
I went outside later in the morning and looked at the horses (who looked freezing) and the kangaroos, who looked at me like they wanted to run back inside (it was about 35 degrees at that point). The emus looked at me with desperation as well like ‘at least he is going to feed us’ look.
The Llamas and Pony looked at me like they were shivering
None of the outdoor animals looked comfortable in this weather. Even Staten Island Chuck was inside because his keeper said that it was too cold even for him to be outside.
The Llamas looking at all of us when we were walking around
After the zoo, it was such a nice morning that I once again walked along the retail stretch of Forest Avenue near the zoo and zig-zagged through some of the stores that were open. People were getting ready for the Super Bowl, so a lot of the food stores were busy with take-out orders. Most of the restaurants were quiet.
Pastosa Ravioli is a wonderful Italian specialty shop that looks and smells terrific. They had samples of their sandwiches for you to taste. I had a ham and mozzarella small sample and I was ready to order a sandwich. When I can eat outside, I will be back to have lunch.
I did stop into an old-line Italian bakery, Moretti’s Bakery at 640 Forest Avenue (see review on TripAdvisor) and have another doughnut. This time a creme filled powered doughnut ($1.25) and God was that good. They have a very nice selection of baked goods at very fair prices and good service.
The doughnut selection of the bakery is so tempting
The selection at Moretti’s Bakery
The delicious treats at the bakery
After that I just walked through the local park and drove home. The whole thing was done this year in about an hour and a half. Oh well, off to the firehouse for the Super Bowl game.
The doughnuts at Moretti’s Bakery are delicious!
Here’s the ceremony in 2020!
I thought this commercial with Bill Murray and reuniting the cast from the film for this commercial:
This is very clever!
This interview with Bill Murray:
This is very clever!
The Groundhog Day Trailer-Excellent film
Very clever cartoon when the Mayor dropped the Groundhog in Staten Island
The wonderful mural honoring the FDNY
McDonalds at 803 Forest Avenue around the corner is always a good place for a snack
Admission: Adults (15 and over) $10.00/Seniors (60 and over) $7.00/Children (3-16) $6.00/Wednesdays after 2:00pm is free to everyone. Free with membership. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
The Cafe and the Gift shop are open when the zoo is open.
I took some time out from my walk to run an event for the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library which is located in Lodi, NJ. I started to get involved in the Friends group last September and that has lead to many interesting visits from celebrities and athletes. Our latest guest helped us welcome in the first day of Spring (which ironically came after a snow storm the day before in which the heat melted all the snow before the event). His name was ‘Lodi Larry, the Rabbit’ and his home is the Bergen County Zoo.
The event was in response to our version of ‘Groundhog’s Day’, when we could not find a groundhog anywhere in Bergen County, NJ. Not one zoo or natural center had one. So when I approached a friend of mine who works at the zoo about one and she could not find one, she suggested the rabbit that they use for children’s events. With that in mind and not wanting to get caught in a snow storm for the event, we moved the event to the first day of Spring with the theme “Lodi Larry comes to the Library”.
Members of the Lodi community on the “First Day of Spring Event”
I was supposed to have only 25 children and their parents but word got out and we ended up with almost 40 children and almost 50 parents and grandparents. This was the first of the three events that I ran for the library since I joined that was a complete sell-out and then some. It was nice to see kids of all ages out to hear the program and participate in the question and answer session.
The only big problem we had was one of the volunteers from the zoo. The program was called “Lodi Larry comes to the Library on the First Day of Spring”. She got up and said, “I don’t know about the rabbit being from Lodi, but this rabbit’s name is Roger, not Larry.” Then she proceeded on with the event. If ever there was a time that someone screwed up, it was then. I was lucky that no one really noticed and the kids and parents had such a good time for the two programs that it was forgotten. I pulled her aside later and explained everything in detail about the program.
The Bergen County Zoo staff with the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library 2016
Outside that little mishap, the programs went off without a hitch. Our first event was a program called ‘Wild & Crafty Animal Tales’, where the kids listened to the story “Make room for the Bunny” and then did a bunny craft. After that the kids got in line to meet the rabbit. That was a big deal for all the small kids. The rabbit seemed very happy with the kids and did not make a fuss. All the kids seemed to enjoy petting the rabbit.
Then our second program “In My Backyard”, took place right after the first program. The theme was that the zoo is a great place to see exotic animals but children can see wild animals every day right in their own backyards. The program induced children to identifying and safely observing New Jersey’s wildlife. Here the kids got to see a real turtle, something that has become very rare in the wilds of New Jersey. I was amazed on how children were so excited on seeing a turtle.
After both programs were over, we had a question and answer time with the staff from the zoo. Some of the questions these kids had were so observant and interesting. So much for the theory that kids today are obsessed with their cellphones. Put a turtle or a rabbit in front of them and they are no different then we were in the 70’s and 80’s.
When the question and answers were over, we had a really nice reception that was catered by our local ShopRite supermarket. Everyone was really impressed with the food. We had a six foot Italian sub that was cut into pieces for us, five pounds of Italian cookies, five pounds of cut fruit, bags of salty snacks and assorted water and juices. I have never seen such a reaction to food before. The site of a colorful buffet of refreshments really brought out the excitement of people. They formed two lines and when I am saying there was not a crumb left of food, there was nothing left. The platters were stripped clean. I was happy that there were no leftovers.
Special Events Chair Justin Watrel of “The Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library”
People left and they were all saying that they had a good time. The kids loved their little crafts and clean up was so easy because they brought everything home. Its nice to see a crowd of happy faces leaving the library and hopefully this starts a trend of very successful programming.
I wanted to send a big ‘thank you’ to Mayor Emil Carafa and the entire Lodi Borough Council for their support, Superintendent of School’s Frank Quatrone for all his help getting the word out to the schools, the Lodi Boys & Girls Club, the Lodi Senior Club, Library Director Siobhan Koch and her staff for the filming of the program, picture taking and for helping with the reservations. A big ‘thank you’ to the Lodi Memorial Library’s Library Board and a another big ‘thank you’ to Friends President Judy Schroeder, Treasurer Edith Witte and Board Member Marilyn De Molli for all of their assistance on the event plus all the support from the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library.
Now back to the ‘Walk in Manhattan’.
Enjoy this three part video of the event at the Lodi Memorial Library. It would have been one solid video but one the volunteers made a serious boo-boo during the event:
Articles on The Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library:
I was working on a new project for the Lodi Memorial Library to have a Groundhog’s Day celebration but try to find a groundhog in New Jersey. No zoo or natural group had one so we revamped the event for the first day of Spring and will have a rabbit (See Lodi Larry comes to the Library Day: Day Forty MywalkinManhattan). When the event fell through and all this talk of Groundhog’s Day I decided to go to the source and off I went to celebrate Groundhog’s Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
‘Lodi Larry’ the rabbit
My blog on “Lodi Larry Comes to the Library” at the Lodi Memorial Library:
Punxsutawney is about five hours from my house so it was not the quickest trip but it is all straight highway down Route 80 until you get to Route 219 and then a turn off onto Route 119 South where you twist and turn until you get to Punxsutawney, a sleepy little former coal mining and coke town.
I will let all readers know that Punxsutawney is not the town in the movie, ‘Groundhog’s Day’. That movie was shot on location in Woodstock, IL. Punxsutawney in real life is somewhat rundown and in need of a much refurbishing in the downtown area. Several buildings in the downtown area have burned down over the years and have not been replaced by the nicest buildings. A lot of storefronts are empty and many of the buildings could use a paint job.
The real Downtown Punxsutawney, PA.
On the positive note, there are a lot of good restaurants, try Punxsy Pizza at 115 N. Findley Street and Frank’s 115 West Mahoney Street at downtown, and a nice green square park in the middle of town and a wonderful historical society.
The Punxsutawney Historical & Genealogical Society at 401 Mahoning Street
The history of Groundhog’s Day Punxsutawney was founded in the traditions of the Romans, who carried the myth to the Germans during the Roman invasions many centuries ago. The story was also based on a Scottish couplet:
‘If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.’
Candlemas Day is celebrated on February 2nd. It was determined that if any animal came forth from its underground hibernation on that day and the sun were out, there would be six more weeks of winter. Thus, was born the tradition of the ‘two winters’ or the ‘second winter’.
Gobblers Knob historical signs.
What began as a tale from ancient times was translated into action in the early 1880’s when a few Pennsylvania residents living in Punxsutawney decided to celebrate Candlemas Day each year by taking themselves into the woods in search of a groundhog.
By 1886, the group had the volunteer efforts of a local newspaper making their forest foray more official and the “Punxsutawney Groundhog Club” was formed with the express purpose of making sure that their groundhog was the official weather forecaster.
For many years, the actual location where the groundhog was observed always known as “Gobblers Knob” was kept a secret. About 20 years ago it was agreed that keeping it a secret had no further purpose and reports of the Punxsutawney Groundhog known as Phil, were spread far and wide.
The crowds at Gobblers Knob in 2023.
In 1907, the hill for the weather works was referred to as “Groundhog Knob” in printed news accounts in Punxsutawney of Groundhog Day. A few years later a news story began referring to it as ‘Gobbler’s Knob’ “the woodchuck saw his shadow…with the sun striking a tangent with the lighting rod on Miller Stoops’ barn…the shadow shone with remarkable distinctness against the snow-clad side of Gobbler’s Knob.”
In the summer of 1966, with the inauguration of the first Punxsutawney Groundhog Festival, the town’s famous groundhog settled into a permanent home at a site near what was then the Sportsmen’s Club Park.
Gobbler’s Knob has been transformed from a place of imagination, from a pile of stones to a stage area raised high to provide better viewing for the crowds who arrive for the ceremony. Following the release of the film “Groundhog’s Day” with Bill Murray in 1993, there was a record crowd of 30,000 people who attended the Groundhog Day ceremony on the weekend of 1997.
The ceremony in Gobblers Knob in 2023.
Today, Phil lives in more sedate quarters. He is no longer forced to hibernate in the wilds of his hometown. Today in a normal habitat for his lifestyle, he lives in a specially created environment in the Punxsutawney Library.
While Phil is living the ‘good life’, his presence has made life good for other including humans-those other animals. Human interest in Phil has resulted in a continuous supply of groundhog souvenirs such as cookbooks and t-shirts. While groundhogs abound in other parts of the world and are known also as woodchucks and marmots, it is felt at least in Punxsutawney, PA that their ‘Phil’ is the only true prophet of the weather.
(By the Punxsutawney Are Historical and Genealogical Society)
It took me about five hours to get to Punxsutawney from home and I was exhausted by the time I got there at 4:00pm. I had stopped by Punxsy Phil’s Famous Restaurant at 116 Indiana Street on the way to the hotel at the recommendation of reviews on TripAdvisor (see restaurant reviews on TripAdvisor).
Punxsy Phil’s Family Restaurant at 116 Indiana Street
I thought the food was good, lots of breakfast items and entrees with thick gravies. I had a chicken fried steak with a sausage gravy and mashed potatoes. Very homey and filling and the service is very good. The food was homey and filling .
The Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and broccoli was delicious.
The Apple Pie a la mode hit the spot for dessert.
In 2016, I stayed at the Cobblestone Hotel at 188 Alliance Drive, just outside of town which was nice because I was away from all the hubbub of the event, and it was very quiet. The hotel is really nice, brand new only about a year old and the rooms are roomy and clean. (Note that the hotel closes down breakfast at 9:00am). The hotel was over-priced for the first night because it was the night before Groundhogs Day and then went down for Wednesday night.
My first night there I did not get much sleep. I got into the room around 5:00pm and took an hour nap. Then it was off to activities in town. By the time I arrived in town most everything was over for the day with the exception of the open house at the Punxsutawney Area Historical and Genealogical Society at 400-401 West Mahoney Street. They had tours of the Society both in 2016 and in 2024.
The Lattimer Mansion at 401 West Mahoning Street that houses some of the collection.
That was interesting as I toured the Bennis and Lattimer Houses, which are right across the street from one another. The museum gave an interesting history of both the families and the town. The Bennis Mansion was part of Millionaires Row back when Punxsutawney was a Coke manufacturer (not the drug) of the area. You could tell by the homes on the street that there was serious money in town from about the Civil War until the Depression. The docents were really interesting and explained the history of the families that lived here.
I got to tour the houses and see all the artifacts that are stored in both homes. There is an interesting display of artifacts from the Native American tribes to the Coal Mining industry and Victorian family life in the area at the turn of the last century.
The Coal Mining display case at the Society.
The Native American display at the museum.
There was even a nice display of items from the film “Groundhogs Day” including an autographed copy of the script and posters from the film. That movie will forever be ingrained into this community.
The “Groundhogs Day” movie display at the Punxsutawney Historical Society.
After the house tours were over, I went back downtown to Punxsy Pizza at 115 North Findley Avenue, which I highly recommend when visiting Punxsutawney. Their sauce is really good and very flavorful, and I had one of their 13″ Calzones (see the review on TripAdvisor). It was more than a meal and the service were really good plus they were open late but even with the ceremony that morning, it was not that full.
The Calzones at Punxsy Pizza are amazing and are so big!
You have to order it with ham, pepperoni and sausage. It is delicious!
When I returned in 2024, I went back to Punxsy Pizza again for dinner and lunch the next day. After eight years, their pizza is still amazing and the calzones still could feed two people. The food is wonderful and the service very friendly. The family that runs the pizzeria is very nice.
I liked the food so much that I ate there twice in 2024. I had to have the calzone again because it is that good. I just wanted a snack the first night I arrived in 2024 and ordered an individual pizza with sausage because they do not sell pizza by the slice. It was freshly made for me and was delicious.
The personal pizza meal makes a good snack before the movies.
The pizza here is excellent.
Then off to the Civic Center two blocks away for the 11:00pm showing of “Groundhog’s Day” with Bill Murray. I have seen this movie about 100 times and saw it when it first came out in 1993 but I still enjoy watching it. It was when I was watching the film that I realized that the film was not shot in Punxsutawney. It was shot in Woodstock, Illinois.
The Punxsutawney Community Center at 209 North Jefferson Street
What was nice about seeing the film at the Community Center is that it is free and they have a really nice concession stand where they freshly popped popcorn with loads of butter and have things like pizza slices, candy and snacks at very reasonable prices. All of the proceeds got the Community Center and I thought that was very fair.
Phil as the Statue of Liberty in the downtown.
I never knew that the film was not shot here. I just assumed from the film that it was shot there but when I looked at the downtown where the scenes were shot, that was a much more vibrant and nicer downtown. I could see the difference. I could see that they were really trying to bring the downtown back but it would take some time. With a new hotel opening in 2025 and a extension of the IUP Culinary School taking up a block, there should be some changes when I return in the future.
The movie “Groundhog’s Day”:
I did not recognize any of the buildings and I walked the downtown five times. Also, you will notice in the film that Gobbler’s Knob is located in the downtown square and in real life Gobbler’s Knob is about a mile and a half outside the city.
Groundhog’s Day Trailer
In 2016, I went back to the room at the hotel for about two hours to relax and take a nap. I began to think the people who were spending the night at the Civic Center had a better idea. For $8.00, you can bring your sleeping bag and a pillow and spend the night there sleeping on the floor.
Frankly, with the amount of time that I spend in the room the first night and that it cost $375.00 for the room the first night versus $65.00 the second night, I would have preferred to spend the night at the Civic Center. They looked like they were having fun.
When I came in 2024, that is exactly what so did. I brought my pillow and blanket and spent $10.00 to stay the night(doors open at 10:00pm) and then you can watch the film ‘Groundhogs Day’ at the 11:00pm showing and than head to bed after the showing is over at 1:00am.
If I can offer any advice to anyone reading this blog and planning a trip to Punxsutawney for the holiday, stay at the Community Center the night before Groundhogs Day morning. You will save money, you will never be in that expensive room because you will want to be in Gobblers Knob by 4:00am and you will never see the inside of that room. I had a lot of fun meeting people at the Community Center and all the places they traveled from to come to the event. We ate snacks from the concession stand, had fun watching the late night film and then crashed until three in the morning until we got the bus to Gobblers Knob. It is more fun this way.
Watching the last showing of the movie “Groundhogs Day” is more enjoyable. There are also many reasonable snacks like a large popcorn for $4.00 with lots of extra butter, slices of pizza for $2.00 and candy at $2.00. They do not gouge you on this and the food is really good. By 10:00pm, they are collecting money from the crowd who are going to stay and we just dropped our sleeping bags, pillows and blankets on the floor and watched the film. Pajama party!
Then you sleep. Most people woke up at 3:00 am to enjoy the festivities. The first time I went, I was there by there by 3:00am. The second time, I wisened up and got there by 4:30pm. I had froze the last time at 3:00am and figured I had seen the acts before. I would come for the fireworks and the Opening Ceremony.
You catch the bus at the Green in downtown starting at 3:00am-6:00am. DO NOT miss the last bus at 6:00am or you have to walk up two miles.
In 2016, I left for the ‘Knob’ at 3:30am and you would be surprised how many people were already there. The VIP area was already filled. There was entertainment the whole night. Our two hosts were two of Phil’s handlers and they did their best to keep us entertained all morning. There were bands, disco music and singing to keep us pepped up. The time flew by.
Getting to Gobblers Knob at 4:00am for the entertainment.
By 6:00am, the place started to fill up more and there was more excitement in the air. My advice to people who want to come is if you want the full experience, then come at 3:00am when the event starts. If you want to just see the fireworks and see Phil, come at 5:00am. Don’t miss the fireworks display, that was a nice display.
The Governor of Pennsylvania was there that morning
By 7:30am, the handlers arrived in their formal wear and top hats and started the ceremony. Trust me, those of us who had been there all morning just wanted to know the report and get out of there. The handlers kept dragging it on and most of us feet were frozen by this point.
The Groundhog Club usually arrives by daybreak.
In 2016, the handlers got there by 7:00am but dragged the ceremony on for over an hour. I realized later that could have been due to the tv stations. It was like they never wanted Phil to come out. Even though it was about 20 degrees, it was not windy and did not seem cold. Still, we were all tired and wanted the ceremony to be over.
In 2024, the handlers did not waste any time. By daybreak, they were there in their formal wear again and got right to the ceremony, made the prediction that “Phil had not seen his shadow (it had been a cloudy morning) and Spring was on its way.” There was one more song and people raced to the busses back to town. Much quicker than eight years ago.
Seeing Phil is the highlight of the day at the start of the ceremony.
In 2016, Phil did not see his shadow and they said it will be an early Spring (it did not make much sense as it snowed as soon as I came home). By the time the event was over it started to head up to the 30’s. By the afternoon it went to 52 degrees and was sunny and bright.
Groundhog’s Day 2016
In 2024, the ceremony went by much quicker and the fireworks show was really good and lasted about a half hour. That was some show. Then the handlers came with the Governor and many other elected officials. Being a MAJOR election year in 2024, I could see that everyone wanted to be there for the exposure. They made sure to make themselves known that day.
They really had the place organized as there were about 15 buses waiting to pick everyone up. We got back to downtown Punxsutawney in about a half hour. This is when the event got strange. There were over 7000 people in the Knob that morning and while about 4000 went back home or back to work, there were a lot of people milling around downtown looking for something to eat and something to do after the ceremony.
In 2016, I went to the Elks Club for a buffet breakfast fundraiser, and it was mobbed! There must have been about 100 people ahead of me and about another 75 people behind me. The kitchen looked overwhelmed and could not keep up with the food. For $9.50 it was really nice. You had scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, potatoes, biscuits and gravy and coffee/tea and orange juice. Everyone was moving as fast as they could especially the woman collecting money who looked very happy.
In 2024, I wisened up and went to the McDonalds in the downtown for a quick Sausage McMuffin meal before I left. The restaurant was smart in staying open for 24 hours that night. It was packed before people left for Gobbler’s Knob.
The perfect meal at 4:30am at McDonalds.
When I returned town after the ceremony, they were serving hot chocolate and cookies complimentary at the Baptist Church inside by the bus drop off and that was very nice. I still needed a second breakfast.
In 2024, I stopped by the Elks again and they teamed up with the fire department and had a buffet breakfast for $10.00. I wanted to support my fellow brothers and ate there. There were eggs, sausage, waffles and hash browns and you could go back as much as you wanted. By 10:00am, they were gearing down but left the buffet open past the time and people were still walking in.
Visiting the Elks Club again to support the Punxsutawney Fire Department breakfast.
You can’t compete with a Firemen’s breakfast in the morning.
After breakfast, there was a bunch of vendors on the Green who also got over-whelmed with customers and there was a historical hayride that the Historical Society sponsored that I swear people where fighting to get tickets for the ride. It was really nice as they took you around town and told you the history of the area. There was another showing of the movie and then that was it by noon. Everything shut down.
In 2024, the Green was more active with multiple vendors, about a dozen food trucks, bands playing on stage and all sorts of activities for the families. Since the holiday fell on a Friday, this continued through the weekend. Somebody was thinking eight years later.
The Town Green had lots of food trucks and entertainment in 2023.
In 2016, all the souvenir shops were hopping, and I asked one of the ladies how they were doing, and she said they had a great day, better than expected. I don’t think the town expected so many people on a Tuesday morning and for the weather to be 52 degrees and sunny this late into winter. People were looking for things to do and places to eat. Even the McDonald’s was over-whelmed for breakfast and lunch. I heard the next day that many places ran out of food.
This is where the town failed the tourists. There was not enough to keep everyone occupied and by noon everything was closing on the Green and even the Historical Society had to run an extra hayride for the people that wanted to go on it. People just left town after lunch. Maybe the town wanted it that way, but I think they really lost an opportunity to make more money for the town had they kept the activities until into the early evening. Bad marketing!
Things changed for the better in 2024. I liked this big welcome!
Phi is all over Downtown Punxsutawney, PA.
In 2024 though there was lots more to do, more food venues and activities and more people stayed in town for the weekend. This will be smart business to build on for the next two years as the holiday will fall on the weekend. I think the town realized that more people want to stay and enjoy what Punxsutawney has to offer. The stores, restaurants and the downtown was hopping with people. They ended up staying through the weekend (some had to as the hotels and B & B’s asked for a two night minimum).
In 2016, I went back to my room for the rest of the day and relaxed. By the time I went out for gas and something to eat by 8:15pm, the place was dead and back to being the sleepy little town it had been before. I went to McDonald’s for a snack because that was all that was open by 9:00pm. Even the next morning when I left, it was a really sleepy town. Since Groundhog’s Day fell on a Tuesday, people went back to work the next day.
In 2024, Groundhog’s Day fell on a Friday and more people including myself for the weekend. I stayed the night again down at the Quality Inn in Indiana, PA and then came back up to take pictures. I took time in the morning to explore downtown Indiana and explore their historical society (watch the parking in downtown Indiana. It is not free on the weekends like New Jersey and they ticket before 7:00pm. I know as I got a $12.00 ticket that morning).
Downtown Indiana, PA with the Jimmy Stewart Museum and the Indiana Historical Society. Watch your parking meter! I miscalculated.
When I returned to Punxsutawney, the town was buzzing with activity this time around, maybe because it was the weekend. Though not the thousands the day before but a few hundred had stayed in town to explore and enjoy the town. The downtown was alive with bands, food and activities that kept families busy. The restaurants were all busy and they showed a 2:00pm filming of “Groundhog’s Day” at the Community Center.
Overall, Groundhog’s Day here was an interesting event, and you should experience it once. It is more exciting than the movie even though Punxsutawney could use some sprucing up. Still, it is a classic American event where TV does not capture the fun of it.
One of my favorite scenes of the film:
I have not had much of a chance to return to Punxsutawney, PA since 2016 but in 2019 and 2020 I went to the Staten Island Zoo to see Staten Island Chuck, the other famous Groundhog and their festival and then it was “Edwina of Essex” at the Turtle Back Zoo in 2022 and 2023. Groundhog’s Day was canceled in 2021 due to COVID but I’m back in 2024.
Here are my blogs on Groundhog’s Day:
Day One Hundred and Thirty-One: Visiting Staten Island Chuck at the Staten Island Zoo:
mywalkinmanhattan 