Because of the bitter cold that has reached all parts of the nation, it should come as no surprise that when the sun rose across the Pennsylvania countryside Monday morning, folks across the United States gathered around their televisions to ask the same burning question: “Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?”

Phil once again took a stab at predicting whether we’ll see an early spring, or suffer through several more weeks of winter. For many, the outcome was not good news.

Phil’s proclamation, as relayed by Mike Johnston, vice president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle, read, “Hear Ye! Hear Ye! On Gobbler's Knob this glorious Groundhog Day, February 2, 2009, Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators, awoke to the call of President Bill Cooper and greeted his handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths. After casting a joyful eye towards thousands of his faithful followers, Phil proclaimed that his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were World Champions one more time; ‘And a bright sky above me, showed my shadow beside me. So six more weeks of winter it will be.’”

According to legend, if the fuzzy creature sees his shadow, winter will linger a bit longer. If his shadow is instead nowhere to be found, bikini weather is just around the corner.

The celebration of Groundhog Day reportedly began with Pennsylvania’s early settlers, who brought with them a custom they used to deal with the doldrums of winter.

Cooper, president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle, said last week during an interview with Baldwin County Now that the current tradition is based on Candlemas Day, which involved melting pieces of old candles in order to make new ones, bringing light to the remainder of winter.

“For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May,” the saying goes.

Phil was named after King Phillip, according to the story. He was first called Br’er Groundhog, and Cooper said a badger was the animal that originally made similar predictions in Europe. The groundhog was selected in Pennsylvania because they are so plentiful there.

For the record, Phil saw his shadow 97 times since he began making such predictions in 1886. Only on 14 occasions did he predict an early spring. There were nine times in the early days, however, his human handlers apparently forgot to archive what they were told.

Those who make the trek to Phil’s hillside home at Gobbler’s Knob each year are quick to point out he is 100 percent accurate — beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Cooper said, “There are some nitpickers that want to find fault with it, but we find he’s perfect with it.”

One of the few select men who may wear a top hat at the celebration each year, Cooper is perhaps the only human on the planet who currently understands groundhogese, Phil’s native tongue. He said it’s his job to translate the series of hair slanting, teeth chattering and whistles into something mere humans can understand.

The power to do so comes from a very old cane made of acacia wood that is kept in the president’s possession during his time in office. Cooper will step away from his post later this year.

“It fades when you pass the cane on,” he said. “I would have rather been endowed with understanding the stock market.”

What is the secret behind Phil’s longevity? It is the “elixir of life,” according to Cooper. Phil takes one sip of the secret recipe every summer during the Groundhog Picnic, and it magically gives him seven more years of life.

“Phil is a community asset,” Cooper said. “We have taken care of Phil 365 days a year for 123 years.”

Phil lives quietly most of the year with his wife, Phyllis, and his cousin, Barney. They have no children.

Cooper said, “He is a man of leisure. But when he works, he works hard. He’s out making calls.”

Phil visits schools and community groups, and has been to the White House. He has also made guest appearances on many television programs, including “Oprah” and “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.”

But, the day he truly commands the spotlight each year is Feb. 2, when thousands make the pilgrimage up a small county road to his burrow as early as 2 a.m. to await his decree.

Up to 40,000 have attended the festivities in years past, Cooper said, adding, “It’s a pretty monumental thing.”

As many as 80 school buses are pressed into service to transport the masses, who are treated to music, food and fun. Reporters from media outlets around the world descend on the tiny community so they may tell the story of the unique phenomenon.

Although the 1993 film “Groundhog Day” was based on the activities held each year, it was not filmed in Pennsylvania. Gobbler’s Knob is not in the middle of the picturesque city of 6,000, as depicted in the movie.

Cooper said Woodstock, Ill. doubled for Punxsutawney. He noted that actor Bill Murray as well as the film’s director and screenwriter Harold Ramis were both born and raised in the Land of Lincoln.

“What they did was not too far off from what we do,” he added.

Cooper said Groundhog Club members, including the Inner Circle, will meet again Feb. 13 to begin planning for the 2010 event.