HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY

Today is Thursday, Feb. 2, the 33rd day of 2006.
There are 332 days left in the year.
This is Groundhog Day.

Today's Highlights in History:
On Feb. 2, 1943, the remainder of Nazi forces from the Battle of Stalingrad surrendered in a major victory for the Soviets in World War II.

On this date:

In 1536, the Argentine city of Buenos Aires was founded by Pedro de Mendoza of Spain.
In 1653, New Amsterdam _ now New York City _ was incorporated.
In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican War, was signed.
In 1870, the "Cardiff Giant," supposedly the petrified remains of a human discovered in Cardiff, N.Y., was revealed to be nothing more than carved gypsum.
In 1876, the National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs was formed in New York.
In 1882, Irish poet and novelist James Joyce was born near Dublin.
In 1897, fire destroyed the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg. (A new statehouse was dedicated on the same site nine years later.)
In 1945, President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill departed Malta for the summit in Yalta with Soviet leader Josef Stalin.
In 1971, Idi Amin assumed power in Uganda, following a coup that ousted President Milton Obote.
In 1987, the White House announced the resignation of CIA director William Casey, who was hospitalized and had undergone brain surgery.

Ten years ago: Dancer, actor and choreographer Gene Kelly died at his Beverly Hills, Calif., home; he was 83. A deep freeze continued in the Plains, the Midwest and much of the South, breaking temperature records that had stood for a century.

Five years ago: Former President Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said they would pay for $86,000 worth of White House gifts they chose to keep.

One year ago: In his State of the Union address, President Bush called for changes in Social Security that would combine reduced government benefits for younger workers with "a chance to build a nest egg" through personal accounts. German heavyweight boxer Max Schmeling died in Hollenstedt, Germany, at age 99.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Elaine Stritch is 81. Actor Robert Mandan is 74. Comedian Tom Smothers is 69. Rock singer-guitarist Graham Nash is 64. Actor Bo Hopkins is 64. Television executive Barry Diller is 64. Country singer Howard Bellamy (The Bellamy Brothers) is 60. Actress Farrah Fawcett is 59. Actor Brent Spiner is 57. Rock musician Ross Valory (Journey) is 57. Model Christie Brinkley is 52. Actor Michael Talbott is 51. Actress Kim Zimmer is 51. Rock musician Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots) is 40. Rock musician Ben Mize (Counting Crows) is 35. Rapper T-Mo is 34. Actress Lori Beth Denberg is 30. Singer Shakira is 29.

Like Christmas and Halloween, Groundhog Day has sprawled into a season -- at least in Punxsutawney, Pa. Events go on for days, begining on Groundhog Day Eve. A Groundhog king and queen get crowned at the local high school and couples get married in the presence of local groundhog officials. There's a traditional banquet, the Prognosticators Ball and a midnight screening of the movie "Groundhog Day."
By 3 a.m. revelers begin arriving at Gobbler's Knob, the grassy knoll where Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, will appear near dawn and probably, based on history, see his shadow.There will be a bonfire and fireworks. There will almost certainly be the tippling you would expect from an overnight winter gathering, despite the annual harsh talk about cracking down on alcohol. The Inner Circle of the Groundhog Club, the Punxsutawney elite who have been running these affairs since 1886, will dignify the occasion with tuxedos, top hats and flowery early-morning speechifying.
The events will be silly, but Punxsutawney is in on the joke. The hometown of America's most famous rodentine meteorologist (not counting Al Roker) doesn't take itself too seriously.
Whether you come for this week's billboard mayhem or drop by during Punxy's 360-day off-season, you'll find plenty of nods to the odd fact that this is the town that a woodchuck built. There are goggle-eyed groundhog statues, cheesy groundhog tchotchkes and a hilarious series of groundhog short films (viewable at http://groundhogchase.com/ and http://www.groundhog202.com/ ).
But there are also non-marmot charms. The friendly burg in the mountains with the gorgeous old-fashioned square is certainly worth a weekend visit: A great old-timey hotel anchors a days-gone-by Main Street, and the surrounding countryside offers some of the best hiking and wildlife viewing in the East.
With fewer than 7,000 people, Punxsutawney has a surprisingly enduring downtown. A mile or so of small businesses -- not just twee antique shops and cafes as at that fancy Brookville historic district 20 miles up the road -- lead to Barclay Square. The town plaza has a 1939 war memorial bandstand, Norway maples along curved pathways and, of course, some statues of You Know Who.
Punxsutawney is cute enough to spend the day just walking around, but you'll probably want to explore some of the natural wonders within an hour or so's drive. This is former coal country, mountainous and sparsely populated and, unlike the Poconos, not cluttered with touristy confections. To the north is the Allegheny National Forest, which National Geographic designated as one of the 100 best places to see wild animals in the country. The place is filled with deer -- and hunters -- but you may also see beavers (or, more likely, their architecture), black bears, river otters or ospreys.
Starting on the east side of the national forest in Ridgway, you enter, believe it or not, elk country. A wild (well, re-introduced) elk herd of more than 500 head roams the area. There are plenty of officially designated places to stop, but locals say the best bet is the town of Benezette on Route 555. It's not uncommon to spot a couple of the big guys right in the town's churchyard.
Back in Punxsutawney, the dog-friendly 1888 Pantall Hotel is a fine base for weekend wandering. This great old brick pile feels like the soul of the town, a picture of worn elegance and the last survivor of a group of grand old hotels that once lined Main Street. It's got a popular bar and the Coach Room Restaurant, an impressive wood-paneled room where the town's older folks seem to take their families. Across the street is a red neon clock, a functioning remnant of the burned-down Jordan Furniture Store.
And for the more scientifically weather-obsessed, there's the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center. After six years and about $1 million raised, the 1914 post office that houses the center has been restored and is open on a limited basis for group tours. But another $500,000 is needed to fill out the exhibits, and the grand opening that was planned for this morning has been postponed.
But all this talk of Punxsutawney's many charms is, of course, ignoring the large groundhog in the room.