Milltown Groundhog Day event canceled after organizers fail to procure a groundhog

The borough of Milltown will not have a Groundhog Day event this year because officials were unable to get a new groundhog.
Milltown Mel died last year before the big day, causing officials to cancel the 2022 celebration. But the event will not take place again this year.
“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,” organizers wrote on Facebook.
Organizers said that New Jersey residents should watch for the forecast from Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania or all of his weather-predicting groundhog cousins - such as Lady Edwina of Essex at the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo.
A Groundhog Day event has not taken place in Milltown since 2020.