PUNXSUTAWNEY -- A girl celebrating her sixth birthday. A group from New Mexico coming to experience a national legend. A couple getting engaged at the spot where they met two years ago.

	Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Official groundhog handler Bill Deeley holds Punxsutawney Phil on the stage after the weather prediction was read around 7:20 a.m. in Punxsutawney yesterday. Phil predicted six more weeks of winter in front of a crowd of 18,000. Click photo for larger image. Related article The passion for Punxsutawney Phil dates back to 1886

Those were just a few of the story lines yesterday at Gobbler's Knob, where wily Punxsutawney Phil dampened everyone's spirits -- if only for an instant -- by predicting another cold six weeks of winter.

It was a brisk morning set against a cloudless sky when Phil emerged from his on-stage burrow in 13-degree weather.

He didn't show any gratitude to the 18,000 adoring fans who had been chanting his name on and off for about an hour, awaiting his prediction.

As handler Bill Deeley pulled Phil out of his hiding place, the rodent kicked his small feet and struggled and squirmed to get away, before speaking to Inner Circle President William Cooper.

Chief Healthman Paul "Rusty" Johnston translated Phil's message, reading to the crowd from a scroll.

"I'm sorry to say, I see my shadow today."

As loud jeers and boos arose from the crowd, Cooper tried to calm them, saying "He's only the messenger."

For B.J. Keifer, 30, of Cumberland, Md., and Oliver Mueller-Heubach, 23, a student at William & Mary College, the message of more wintry weather didn't bring any sadness. Instead, for them, Phil's words presaged warmth and love. Mueller-Heubach bent to his knees as the ceremony was ending, asking Keifer to marry him.

The two are members of Volkswagen New Beetle Club, which scheduled an outing at Groundhog Day in 2003. The two were the only ones who showed up that day, and they've been together since. They're not sure when they'll wed, but didn't rule out that it could be at a future gathering at Gobbler's Knob.

Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Among the crowd in Punxsutawney were Sonya Svirsko, 22, of Somerset, left, and her best friend Jessica Conlin, 26, from Central City, who got a good laugh at a groundhog puppet on the arm of Peter Fedorick, of Saratoga Springs, New York. Click photo for larger image.

Five Penn State University students decided at 10 p.m. Tuesday to make the 90-minute drive from school to see Phil.

"We figured this was the only and best chance to get here to see Punxsutawney Phil," said Adrienne Tramontina, 21, of South Park.

She remembers waking every Groundhog Day and turning on the radio to hear if Phil had seen his shadow. About 5 a.m. Wednesday, she and her friends stopped to have their pictures taken with several tuxedo-wearing, top hat-bearing members of the Inner Circle. One of them slipped Tramontina purple Mardi Gras beads with a large brown groundhog charm.

Members of the Inner Circle carried a variety of tokens to hand out to Phil's fans through the morning. There were wooden nickels and metal coins, as well as the coveted beads. For the crowd, Punxsutawney Phil Beanie Babies were shot off the stage.

Adam Gerdes, 13, of Youngstown, Ohio, caught one before falling asleep, curled in a comforter in his mother's lap.

Six-year-old Audrey Best of Ravenna, Ohio, was bundled up in a pink snowsuit, and bright-eyed, at about 6 a.m. as her parents looked for a good spot to stand. On Audrey's coat, she wore a flashing button that read, "I'm 6 years old today."

"I wanted to see the groundhog 'cause he's cute," she said.

	Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Members of the Inner Circle congregate on stage as a fireworks display lights up the pre-dawn sky over Punxsutawney yesterday morning. Click photo for larger image.

"We decided this year was the time to go out," said her mother, Tracey Best, who also toted around 9-month-old son Noah.

At 71 and 74, Elva Jarboe and Dorothy Robertson planned their vacation around Phil's shadow. From Truth or Consequences, N.M., the women and three other relatives flew into Buffalo to visit Niagara Falls before heading to Punxsutawney.

Standing near a reviewing stand in the back, the women were having a good time, but complained about the loud, fast-paced music -- especially during a K.C. and the Sunshine Band song -- and about the weather. It was 60 degrees in New Mexico when they left.

"We wanted to see what it was all about," Jarboe said.

As much of a fuss as was made about Phil's prediction, everyone knows he's not to be trusted -- especially the weather experts who were overshadowed by him yesterday.

"No particular day really holds the key to how much wintry weather we'll get," said Paul Knight, state climatologist at Penn State. Members of the Inner Circle all say quite seriously that there has only been one Phil, despite the fact that groundhogs typically have a lifespan of just 6 to 8 years. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club credits Phil's longevity to magic punch he drinks every summer, which adds another seven years to his life.

"It's just like the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus," Deeley said. "There's only ever been one."