PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (WTAJ) — For being 137 years old, Punxsutawney Phil looks great! How can this famous groundhog live for so long? Here’s his secret.
Phil has been predicting whether we get six more weeks of winter or and early spring since 1886 and has a 100% accuracy rating. For him to keep up his predictions, he drinks the Elixir of Life.
“The magic Elixer is something super secret, it’s been handed down from handler to handler through the years, it’s a concoction of a lot of different herbs and spices and some super secret formulas that only the handler knows,” Thomas Dunkel, President of the Punxsutawney Groundhog club, said.
While it keeps Phil alive and ready to make his yearly predictions, he only drinks it once a year at the Groundhog Picnic.
On the first Saturday in September, Phil drinks the elixir, adding another seven years to his life for every drink he takes.
“Take Phil down to the stage down by the stump and in a barrel, we have the elixir in and he’ll drink from the barrel and it gives him seven years of longevity for every drink that he swallows,” Dunkel said.
In addition to the elixir, Phil maintains a healthy diet, Dunkel said. Phil will typically eat fresh fruits, his favorite being bananas, and veggies to keep him healthy and energized.
People often ask about Phil’s wife, Phyliss. Does she also get to drink the elixir?
Unfortunately, not.
“Now Phyliss, she does not get to drink the elixir so about every 10-15 years they’ll be a new Phyliss because she does not get to drink the elixir with Phil,” Dunkel said.
Phil will make his next prediction on Thursday, Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney, Pa.
