As a child who deeply loved and appreciated the weather and the news, I always loved waking up on the morning of Febuary 2, on Groundhog Day, to see whether Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow or not.
This timeless tradition has made its way into film. Groundhog Day is a movie about a weather reporter named Phil who is stuck reliving the same day over and over again, reporting the weather on Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The film debuted in theaters on February 12, 1993 and has since become a staple. Groundhog Day even had its own commercial in the 2020 Super Bowl promoting the Jeep Gladiator.
Despite the film taking place in Punxatwany, Philadelphia, most of the scenes were filmed in Woodstock, IL. Woodstock places great pride in the film being shot in their community, and hosts an annual festival called Woodstock Groundhog Days. This year's festivities featured an appearance by Stephen Tobolowsky, who played Ned in the film, a 5K run, live music, and guided walking tours of filming locations. As a devoted fan of time loop movies and films, I decided to journey to Woodstock and participate in a guided walking tour.
Touring the locations of Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day location manager Bob Hudgens. The tour started in the historic Woodstock square, with Hudgens discussing his personal experience of securing Woodstock as the location for the film. After that there was a Q&A and a walkthrough of the various spots where the scenes took place.
“It was after weeks of scouting, visiting hundreds of towns, and taking thousands of photos that we were finally able to choose our town, which became the central point of the whole film,” Hudgens said. The process was meticulous, with each town offering something unique. The decision to pick a town in Illinois brought on star Bill Murray and director Harold Ramis, who hail from the Chicago area.
Rick Le Fevour, a stuntman in Groundhog Day, was also present. He spoke about the infamous scene where Phil jumps off of the bell tower at the Woodstock Opera House. “We were able to bring an airbag on the east side and I did the jump there and Bill built a platform for him on the south side where he starts to fall and I finished it and it took one take,” Fevour said.
Hudgens pointed out the different landmarks from the film. Some of these include the Top Top Café, which is now Arty's Mexican Grill; the Alpine Theater, now the Classic Cinemas Woodstock Theatre; several of the bar scenes filmed at Squire on the Square; Gobbler's Knob, located at the southwest corner of Woodstock Square Park; and the corner where Phil kept stepping in a small pothole filled with water, located at 100 Cass Street. Here's a plaque to mark that spot:
The tour ended at the Cherry Tree Inn Bed and Breakfast where Phil stayed; he would get out of bed every morning in the Magnolia suite at the Cherry Tree Inn.
The Cherry Tree Inn had the film playing inside. There was a gift shop busy with people, especially on Groundhog Day. It was here that I got to fully immerse myself, using all my senses to explore and vividly remember the movie scenes. I was able to see the gated archway where Phil and Rita, played by Andie MacDowell, skipped together at the end of the film:
My main takeways from the Groundhog Day tour
Upon ending the tour, I was in awe over how much this film means not only for avid film buffs but also to Woodstock. The community did a phenomenal job making sure everybody was entertained.
The community even had their first Groundhog Day 5k run. Before I left Woodstock, I even saw a poster about how there was a Groundhog Day pub crawl that happened the night before, and I joked to myself that next year I will secure a hotel, attend the pub crawl, and enjoy the festivities the following Groundhog Day.
With my love of the time loop genre and my close proximity to Woodstock — I'm based in Chicago — I am glad I made the journey and was able to experience and make new memories with this film.
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