Move over, Phil: Pennsylvania has a new "it" groundhog.
DUNCANSVILLE, Pa. (WBRE/WYOU) – Move over, Phil: Pennsylvania has a new "it" groundhog.
Employees at The Meadows Family Fun Mini Golf in Duncansville, Pennsylvania, were met with a surprise "prize" last week when a groundhog got itself stuck inside one of their claw machines.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission said one of its wardens, Salvadore Zaffuto, was called to the amusement center after getting a report of a groundhog among the stuffed animals inside the game cabinet.
"When Warden Zaffuto responded and approached the machine, he saw a wave of stuffed animals move as the groundhog scurried around underneath, then it popped its head out to assess the situation," the Pennsylvania Game Commission said Tuesday on Facebook.
The company that supplied the game was called to unlock the machine, officials said. Warden Zaffuto was then able to capture the groundhog, who was released "unharmed," according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
On Friday morning, the official Facebook page for The Meadows seemed to indicate that the groundhog had returned ("Guess who's back?" the post asked, alongside a picture of the groundhog), though a representative for The Meadows confirmed to Nexstar that was not the case.
"He actually didn't come back," the representative told Nexstar, adding that The Meadows was simply planning to host a contest to name the groundhog.
Several fans on Facebook already appeared eager to participate before the contest was formally announced, with some suggesting "Duncansville Dan," "Meadow" (after The Meadows) or "Serenity," which is reportedly the name of the girl that first spotted the groundhog in the machine.
Some even suggested that the groundhog might rival the state's other famous groundhogs, like Punxsutawney Phil, or the state lottery mascot Gus the Groundhog.
"You guys should get an old machine and turn it into a little hotel for him," one fan suggested.
