The show will go on for Punxsutawney Phil in Gobbler’s Knob, but with a virtual audience instead.

Punxsutawney Phil and his Inner Circle will be on site for his live annual Groundhog Day prognostication, “but it has been determined that there will not be any in person attendance or guests on the grounds as the potential COVID risks to overcome are too great,” says a press release at www.groundhog.org.

In 1886, Groundhog Day first appeared in a local Punxsutawney newspaper. Then in 1887, the first official trek to Gobbler’s Knob occurred. There has been a steady increase in crowd size and celebration every year.

This year’s virtual event “for sure has had an impact on our tourism,” Katie Weaver, a member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, said on Friday. “There are still some people coming to town, but not as many. It’s nothing like we usually see this close to Groundhog Day.”

Gobbler’s Knob is about a mile from Punxsutawney’s town center, she said. She saw some tourists on her way into work Friday.

It was snowing there Friday, and she heard forecasts of more snow coming in a few days.

“Depending on the exact track and timing of this potential East Coast storm, then Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, could have a lingering cloud cover and possible even snowstorms on Tuesday morning. The temperature is expected to be cold in the 20s,” according to weather.com Friday morning.

Here is how to watch a Groundhog Special, beginning at 6:30 a.m., followed by Phil’s live prediction:

Go to www.groundhog.org, visit Punxsutawney Phil’s Facebook page or Punxsutawney Phil’s YouTube channel.

Punxsutawney Phil’s Facebook page promotes many of its events which went virtual this year, including the Groundhog Day 5K race, fundraisers and a talent competition.

“Our 5K was popular. We ran out of T-shirts and medals,” Weaver said.

Another successful fundraiser was their Crowd Cut Out. Anyone who wanted to be in the audience could do so by submitting a photo of themselves wearing Groundhog Day gear and holding a related sign.

“We had a company make the cutouts,” Weaver said. “It went really well. We sold 150 of them.”

Each cutout will have a picture taken on the Knob Stage and will be available for the purchaser to download. Each cutout will be signed by members of the Inner Circle.

After Tuesday’s event, purchasers can pick them up at the Gobbler’s Knob Visitor’s Center or have them shipped for a fee.

Like the Monroe lodge, the Punxsutawney club is telling people to plan for a live event in 2022 - if it is safe once again to gather in large crowds.

Whether virtual or live, groundhog.org states that Feb. 2 is a “day to take everything a little less seriously, and break up the winter monotony … at least for a little while!”