The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle celebrated Mother's Day by announcing the names chosen for the two new groundhog babies recently born to Punxsutawney Phil and Phyllis: Sunny and Shadow.
Knewz.com has learned that after the babies, a male and a female, were welcomed in March, members of the public submitted name suggestions.
Tom Dunkel, the president of The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle, and the club "reviewed all of the names and then discussed with Phil in groundhogese," the Inner Circle wrote alongside a video of the announcement on Facebook.
Vice President Dan McGinley could be seen in the video unfurling a scroll and reading out a poetic proclamation to announce the names.
"Born to royalty, a boy and a girl, names have been chosen to share with the world. Welcome with us as we say hello to little girl, Sunny and a boy, Shadow. With pride and joy as the kids play, from Punxatawney, happy Mother's Day!" McGinley recited.
A long line of groundhogs named Punxsutawney Phil have been emerging from the stump at Gobbler's Knob each Groundhog's Day since 1886.
The groundhogs emerge to look for their shadow, and if they see it, that means six more weeks of winter. If they don't, it's an early spring.
The current Punxsutawney Phil is a first-time father, and visitors can see his young family in their burrow behind a viewing window at the Punxsutawney Memorial Library in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
—TMX contributed to this report.
