Bill Murray Crashes ‘Groundhog Day’ Bash at Harry Caray’s Navy Pier

Bill Murray surprised folks last week at Navy Pier during an event celebrating the movie Groundhog Hog Day held on Groundhog Day, Friday, February 2. Harry Caray’s Grant DePorter put the show together, reuniting members of the 1993 movie to honor the film’s director, Chicago native Harold Ramis. Ramis was also an investor at Harry Caray’s. The event marked the 10th anniversary of his death.

Luminaries like Sen. Dick Durbin attended as did Ramis’s wife, Erica Mann Ramis. She read a letter written by President Barack Obama. DePorter arranged an elaborate set as a tribute to the movie, giving folks a reason to visit Navy Pier. The winters are slow around most Chicago restaurants, but big crowds rarely fill Navy Pier during the colder months. DePorter sold movie-themed cocktails and brought in a groundhog from Woodstock, using the same animal handler that was used in the movie. Yes, there’s a possibility that this critter, nicknamed Chicago Harry, is related to the star of the movie. In a controversial ruling, Harry did see his shadow, thus sentencing Chicagoans to six more weeks of winter. Even if 40 degrees feels tropical right now.

But as the spring-starved crowd wiped their tears, Brian Doyle-Murray — who appeared in the movie as Buster Green — joined his brother and others to a toast to Harold Ramis, raising glasses of sweet vermouth. Check out the scene in the photos below.