No Milltown Mel, again, this year
For the fourth year in a row, there will be no Milltown Mel.
The previous Milltown Mel, the second to hold the title, died just before Groundhog Day 2022. Efforts by Mel’s wranglers to obtain a replacement, to date, have been unsuccessful. They’ve indicated that New Jersey law has prevented them from legally acquiring one, as there’s a ban on importing rabies vector animals from certain states.
There was a flurry of media attention last Groundhog Day around Milltown’s groundhog troubles, which inspired New Jersey Assemblyman Sterley Stanley to champion a bill that would allow importation of groundhogs from states currently on the prohibited list. Some of the wranglers and Stanley even went before the State Assembly Regulated Professions Committee in May to testify, and there was hope that this would be the year that Milltown’s Groundhog Day celebration would return.
Still, it seems that nothing has yet changed, and an update from Mel’s official Facebook account Friday finally confirmed that there will be no Milltown Mel this year, either.
We’ll just have to wait and see if Groundhog Day 2026 will see the return of Mel.
Tags: groundhog day, groundhog day 2024, milltown, milltown mel