Inner Circle Welcomes Two New Members

By James Lauffer of Hometown magazine

ear, all ye good people, hear ye, hear ye! The most venerable Inner Circle of the esteemed Groundhog Club of Punxsutawney, the acclaimed Weather Capital of the World, wishes to announce that it has welcomed two new members –Josh Farcus and Rob Gemmell – into its orbit. Both are native sons of this area of great renown, and both shall henceforth enjoy the benefits and bear the responsibilities of their membership, which is a lifetime appointment.”

The benefits for the dignitaries of the Inner Circle include wearing nifty top hats, ties, and tails as they serve as ambassadors not only for Punxsutawney Phil and Gobbler’s Knob, but also for the entire Punxsutawney region and beyond. Their responsibilities range from ensuring that Phil is a content, well-fed groundhog, one who is cozy and comfortable, to planning and participating in the events of Groundhog Day – no small undertaking.

Tom Dunkel, aka “Shingle Shaker,” is president of the Inner Circle, and his responsibilities also include welcoming Josh and Rob into the select group, which has only 15 members, plus Phil himself and Executive Director Marcy Galando, and choosing and bestowing their Inner Circle monikers or nicknames – a weighty and thought-provoking undertaking. The president welcomes suggestions for monikers from other Inner Circle members, whose nicknames typically are inspired by weather events and their occupations.

Rob’s nickname “Storm Builder” was inspired by both his profession (construction) and the weather. He points out that his moniker “comes from my passion for building things, for a good winter storm, and for the excitement that comes with both.”

Josh was dubbed “Frostbite,” a sobriquet rooted in his work on a family parcel and as a possible result of staying out too long in frigid weather. “So for me,” he explains, “since I work a lot at our property just outside of town in Frostburg, and since food can be freezer burned or frostbitten if it’s kept for too long, the name ‘Frostbite’ was a good fit.”

According to Josh, the roots of “Frostbite” also extend to a specific happening. “I was giving (Dan) McGinley (Vice President, aka ‘Moonshine’) credit for coming up with it,” he adds, “but there is a text from Dave (Gigliotti, aka ‘Thunder Conductor’) after the guys were joking about the Sharkbite connectors I brought to the Knob to fix the ‘water leak,’ and he was calling me ‘Frostbite’ in quotes nonetheless.”

(More on the “water leak” to follow!)

Josh ‘Frostbite’ Farcus

Josh was born and raised in Punxsutawney. He attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he earned degrees in business management and entrepreneurship. In addition to working on his “farm,” Josh has worked at his family business, Mary’s Place Catering & Event Center, located in Punxsutawney, for the past 23 years. He is the proud father of 12-year-old Jemma, a seventh-grader at Punxsutawney Area High School.

When Josh was his daughter’s age, he recalls that “quite a few” of his friends’ fathers were members of the Inner Circle. He also remembers the revelry, the sheer exuberance, of the Groundhog Day celebration and looks forward to being a participant in that merrymaking. “I always got a rush as a spectator when the music would start, and the members would make their trek down to the stage,” he says, “so this year will be a double rush … Also, the view from the stage looking out across the thousands of Phil’s faithful followers will be very exciting.”

Josh has known many of the members of the Inner Circle for 20 or 30 years and has always admired and appreciated them “for all the work they put in to perpetuate the legend and lore of Punx’y Phil.” His

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