Who was first couple to tie the knot on Gobbler’s Knob on Groundhog Day?
It was a cold day at the Weather Capital, but the flames of love have kept this couple together for 28 years.
The Punxsutawney “Spirit” newspaper commemorated the Laynes’ nuptials as the first wedding to take place at Gobbler’s Knob just after Phil communicated his weather prediction.
The “Groundhog Day” movie was shot in Illinois, but actor Bill Murray was in Punxsutawney several months beforehand to witness the festivities, including the Laynes’ wedding.
The Punxsutawney “Spirit” photographer covered the Laynes’ nuptials, as shown in this clipping from the weekly newspaper.
None other than Punxsutawney Phil was an honored guest at the Laynes’ marriage ceremony, which took place at the woodchuck’s stump.
In a recent portrait, Jonathan and Priscella Layne posed with their pup, Betsy.
No cassette played Sonny and Cher crooning, “I Got You Babe,” not even once, let alone multiple times.
It was Groundhog Day 1992 in Punxsutawney, Pa., and actor Bill Murray – but not co-star Andie McDowell – attended.
Little did the new Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Layne know that they were apparently the first in what was to become a phenomenon.
It was the year before the romantic comedy of the same name hit the big screen – and the Laynes were getting hitched at the Weather Capital of the World, on Gobbler’s Knob, following Phil’s famous prognostication.
“It will be 28 years,” said Priscella Layne of West Finley in a recent interview.
Although the scenes purported to be Punxsutawney in a time warp were actually shot in several locations in Illinois, the crew and Murray were in the Jefferson County town to research and witness the actual celebration beforehand.
Because their wedding predated the hoopla that resulted from the movie, what motivated the Laynes to be on the cutting edge of what was to become a trend?
Feb. 2 was Jonathan Layne’s mother’s birthday, and when he mentioned that as his reason for wanting to get married then, Priscella brought up Groundhog Day.
The suspense of the shadow-seeing celebration didn’t register with her fiance, but, after first writing to the local Chamber of Commerce, they gamely headed for Punxsutawney to tie the knot.
“We went up the day before,” Priscella said. “We had no idea what we were getting into.”
Groundhog Day fell on a Sunday that year, and Old Man Winter had the place in his clutches.
“Everything was solid ice,” Priscella Layne recalled. “They put straw on top of the ice. It was like a sled.” The rugged conditions precluded a full-length gown and high heels.
The bride, for “something old,” carried her Bible containing pictures of her daughters, mother and father. A heavy pant suit was her something new. She wore her daughter’s coat as something borrowed.
And her “something blue?”
“Probably blue from the cold,” she said.
Phil emerges from his burrow around sunrise, but the Laynes exchanged vows about 11 a.m. Her daughters were in college, and the happy couple brought no attendants, but members of the Groundhog Club stood with the couple. A local lady gave Priscella a corsage.
She estimated about 40 people attended the ceremony, performed by a Jefferson County magistrate. The couple was invited out for pie and hot coffee afterward. They stayed in the Pantall Hotel, the same venue as Bill Murray, who autographed a sweatshirt for the bridegroom.
Punxsutawney on 02-02-2020 will feature weddings and renewals of vows this year, not at Gobbler’s Knob, and not at 2 p.m., but from 10 to 11 a.m. at the civic center in Barclay Square. Just like with the Laynes, all weddings were scheduled in advance, so there are no nuptials performed at a moment’s notice. This isn’t Las Vegas, after all, and Pennsylvania requires a waiting period of at least three days between application and the issuing of a marriage license.
Nonetheless, one Punxsutawney booster described it as “a great town, a great time, and people come from all over the world.”
The Laynes are now retirees, she from a 23-year career as a paraprofessional with the McGuffey School District, and he, she said, “from the river,” where, as a tankerman, he pumped petroleum from barges.
They have a small farm with alpacas, goats and chickens.
Over the years, the Laynes have returned to Punxy about four times, and they have developed an anniversary ritual.
“We always watched to find out if the groundhog saw his shadow,” Priscella Layne said.