Woodstock, Illinois

Bill Murray Stepped Here plaque - Woodstock, Illinois

N42 18.919  W88 26.832

The town of Woodstock, Illinois, (pop. 24,333) is about 50 miles northwest of Chicago.  Across the street from the central square, just outside the Tip Top Bistro, is a small plaque embedded in the sidewalk.  It reads “Bill Murray Stepped Here. Groundhog Day Movie 1992.”  The plaque commemorates the making of the movie Groundhog Day in this sleepy town during the spring of 1992.  This was the spot where Bill Murray’s character repeatedly steps off the sidewalk into a slush-filled hole.  His old schoolmate, Ned, laughs and cautions “Watch out for that first step – it’s a dooozy.”  If you go to the end of the block, there is another plaque mounted on the wall which reads “Ned’s Corner.”

Groundhog Day tells the story of a cynical weatherman, Phil, who grudgingly covers the groundhog ceremony in Punxsutawney, PA on February 2^nd, Groundhog Day.  Forced by a storm to spend the night, Phil wakes up to find a day surprisingly like the day before. In fact, it is.  Phil lives the same day, Groundhog’s Day, over and over again.  At first he is doesn’t believe it.  Then he realizes that knowing what will happen next has its advantages.  Then Phil falls into a deep depression and kills himself - several times.  But every time, he simply wakes up at the beginning of Groundhog Day again.  Finally, Phil accepts his situation and begins to embrace the opportunities around him including his ability to help others.

Woodstock was selected as a stand-in for Punxsutawney, PA for the making of Groundhog Day because it has a beautiful central square that made a perfect Gobbler’s Knob, the site of the annual groundhog-seeing-his-shadow tradition.  The real Gobbler’s Knob is well outside of Punxsutawney. Having located their perfect Gobbler’s Knob, the production team discovered that they could make most of the movie in Woodstock. They replace many signs, license plates, etc. to disguise the town but I get a kick out of one they missed.  In the scene where Ned recognizes Phil, a large sign behind him reads 'Woodstock Jewelers'.

Today, a visitor can get a free map of the Groundhog Day locations at the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce. Start your tour in Woodstock Square at the bandstand where the Gobbler’s Knob scenes were shot.  The walkway to the east of the monument is where the snowball fight was staged.  Adjacent the square to the south is the Woodstock opera house which became the Pennsylvania Hotel.  Cross Cass Street to see the block with the two plaques described above.  The Woodstock Theatre around the corner doubled for the Alpine Theatre in the film. Finally, take a stroll down Madison all the way to the south end to see the private residence that was the movie’s Cherry Street Inn, Phil’s B&B.  On the way down Madison, you will pass the piano teacher’s house on the right.  Standing at the end of the street, turn around.  This is the scene that Phil repeatedly views out his window.  It’s exactly always the same each time we see it – until the end of the movie.

Question of the Day: Who directed Groundhog Day?