Groundhog Day ceremony canceled again in Milltown, N.J., as search for Mel’s replacement drags on
Milltown's Groundhog Day ceremony has been canceled for the third year in a row following the death of Mel in 2022.
For the third year in a row, residents of one New Jersey town will not have a groundhog to tell them if they’re due for an early spring.
Organizers of Milltown’s formerly annual Groundhog Day celebration announced that they have yet to find a suitable replacement for Milltown Mel, their beloved local groundhog who died right before the big day in 2022.
The Milltown Wranglers (aka Milltown’s self-appointed groundhog scouts and handlers) said the vaguely Pagan tradition is being blocked by bureaucratic red tape.
“After months of trying to solve our dilemma, your Milltown Mel wranglers are sorry to report that we are unable to have a groundhog available for this year’s festivities,” the wranglers wrote on Mel’s official Facebook. “The new groundhog we originally scheduled to have made his debut is currently not allowed to be here according to a state of New Jersey statute. We have been trying to find a replacement that the state will approve of, but we could not make it happen in time for this year.”
According to New Jersey groundhog law, there’s a limited list of out-of-state-breeders that can import the critters. The wranglers must get pre-approval and supply proof that the groundhog wasn’t scooped up in the wild, since groundhogs can bring with them a variant of rabies that isn’t present in New Jersey.
“You can’t just say, ‘Oh I got one in my backyard,’” Milltown Wrangler Russ Einbinder previously told The Inquirer. “You try handling one that you haven’t handled since birth and you’re gonna get your hand bit off.”
» READ MORE: 2023 Groundhog Day ceremony canceled in Milltown, N.J., as search for new Mel continues
When Mel died a few days before Groundhog Day in 2022, the wranglers canceled because they couldn’t find a replacement in time. And in 2023, the festivities were canceled again because, while the wranglers did announce the birth of New Jersey’s next top groundhog meteorologist, the state said the newborn didn’t meet its wildlife regulations.
Milltown residents, it appears, are ready for a new furry prognosticator.
“How about a badger? Or get a cat that identifies as a groundhog? Time to get creative!” read one Facebook comment.
“I feel a groundhog puppet would do. The show must go on,” read another.
In the past, PETA has also recommended that Milltown honor Mel’s legacy by replacing him with an animatronic groundhog outfitted with predictive AI. (The wranglers said no thanks.)
» READ MORE: Punxsutawney Phil’s New Jersey counterpart dies right before Groundhog Day
“The concept is a little cheesy to begin with, but at least it’s a cool tradition with us, Pennsylvania, and other places doing it over 100 years and change,” Einbinder has said. “The point is, we didn’t want to get too cheesy.”
The wranglers recommend Groundhog Day devotees should instead “listen to Phil and all his cousins,” which include Lady Edwina of Essex County, Sussex County’s Stonewall Jackson VI, and New York City fixture Staten Island Chuck.
The Milltown Wranglers, meanwhile, are still chipping away at a 2025 relaunch.
“We have not given up, and will keep at it,” they posted on Facebook. “At least we know Mel is watching over us!”