With potential of record-breaking crowds looming, Deeley says Inner Circle prepared for Phil's big day

February 1, 2013

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Spirit file photo – Ron Ploucha (left), Punxsutawney Phil's co-handler, and Bill Deeley, Groundhog Club president, pose with Phil after the 2012 Groundhog Day festivities.

PUNXSUTAWNEY — It could be an all-time record crowd with Groundhog Day returning to the weekend for the first time in a number of years for the 127th-annual trek to Gobbler’s Knob.
"The all-time record was approximately 33,000 people, back when it was last held on a weekend," said Bill Deeley, president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle.