by Kelly Ann Butterbaugh

            “Our original goal was twenty-five, but as the Phils were unveiled, more and more people wanted their own,” says Marlene Lellock, executive director of the Punxsutawney Area Chamber of Commerce.             

            Lellock is speaking of the six-foot high fiberglass statues found throughout the town of Punxsutawney in Jefferson County.  The cartoon personas of the famous Punxsutawney Phil are part of the Phantastic Phils project which was born in October 2001 to generate a new level of tourism to the small central Pennsylvania town. 

            The idea isn’t new:  a sponsor provides the necessary $2500-$3000 to fund the public art display, and an artist works to create a unique persona for the statue.  When finished, the statues find permanent homes throughout the town; they are not to be auctioned or moved at later dates.  Sponsors for the statues range from local businesses and organizations to one local fireman’s grandchildren who dedicated their statue to him. 

            When the project ends in May of 2006, thirty-three Phils will populate the area.  “We didn’t want more Phils than people,” Lellock explains of the decision to stop adding fiberglass friends.

            The project began with a call for sponsors and artists.  One artist who answered the call was Raphael Pantalone, who has painted murals around the world including the one at the Groundhog Zoo in Punxsutawney.  Like other artists Pantalone made the statues reflect their hometown, such as One Dollar Phil who shows the town’s zip code as part of his design.

            “Each Phil is designed in such a way that reflects the personality, interest, and/or profession of the sponsoring organization.  Community pride is also projected through each of these designs,” Pantalone says of the creations. 

            Other artists resculpted their Phils to add more dimension and personality to the statue’s form.  Nance Finley and Jeff Marshall conspired together to create several of the statues throughout the town.  Having worked for Disney and Warner Bros., the pair sculpted aluminum screen, foam insulation, and other products to add dimension to their groundhog creations.  Presby MacPhil is one example who underwent a change to show a contorted face as he plays his bagpipes in front of the Presbyterian Church of Punxsutawney.   

            “As we began to work on each of our Phils, its own individual personality started to develop which gave us new ideas to make it better,” Finley states.

            These personalities are not only reflective of the sponsors of the statues but of the town itself as Punxsutawney embraces its newest citizens.

 

For more information on the Phantastic Phils project in Punxsutawney visit http://www.punxsutawney.com