New Jersey's celebrity groundhog Milltown Mel dies just days before Groundhog Day
Celebrity groundhog 'Milltown Mel' from New Jersey died days before he could predict the weather for the year on Groundhog Day.
The groundhog was famous for predicting the weather of early spring or late winter each year to his community of Milltown in New Jersey.
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His death was announced on Facebook. This is not the first time a groundhog has died just before the New Jersey groundhog day. In 2016, Sussex County’s weather prognosticator Stonewall Jackson died right before Groundhog Day.
The groundhog Mel has a celebrity status in Milltown. He predicted when is an ideal time to plant springtime seeds for the residents of the Garden State.
"He died at a tough time of year when most of his fellow groundhogs are hibernating," his handlers, who are known as the Milltown Wranglers, stated. Mel "recently crossed over the rainbow bridge," they said.
"We will work hard on getting us a new weather prognosticator for next year," the Wranglers said. “New Jersey residents should check out what all of Mel's cousins have to say about the end of winter,” they added.
Due to the pandemic, Mel spent last year's Groundhog Day in quarantine. But he spent his quarantine predicting early spring for his community which is roughly midway between Trenton and Newark.
"Yay!!! Mel - you are my favorite Groundhog!!!" a fan commented on the rodent’s death on Facebook.
The longest tradition of asking a rodent for weather prediction of an early spring or a late winter roots from the Christian tradition of Candlemas.
The Long tradition of Groundhog Day in the US centers around Punxsutawney Phil, Pennsylvania. According to the Almanac website, "Candlemas was originally a Celtic festival marking the 'cross-quarter day,' or midpoint of the season. The Sun is halfway on its advance from the winter solstice to the spring equinox."
Some of the other weather-predicting animals include Dunkirk Dave, Staten Island Chuck, and Buckeye Chuck.