Milltown's popular Groundhog Day festivities are cancelled this year,
following the death of the local celebrity, who for the last several years has
been given the task of predicting whether there will be an early spring or six
more weeks of winter.
Milltown Mel, a groundhog who has for years offered his weather predictions
on Groundhog Day, has died, his handlers say. They say Mel "recently
crossed over the rainbow bridge" — and their scramble for a replacement
rodent before Feb. 2 was fruitless.
Mel rose to celebrity status in Milltown, N.J., giving
residents of the Garden State an idea of when to plant their springtime seeds.
But he died at "a tough time of year, when most of his fellow groundhogs
are hibernating," according
to his handlers, who are known as the Milltown Wranglers.
"We will work hard on getting us a new weather prognosticator for next
year," the Wranglers said, adding that New Jersey residents should
"check out what all of Mel's cousins have to say" about the end of
winter.
If it seems like you've heard this story of a New
Jersey groundhog dying before, that's not just a Groundhog Day effect: in 2016, Sussex County's prognosticator,
Stonewall Jackson, died on Groundhog Eve, according to NJ.com.
Mel spent last year's Groundhog Day in quarantine, due
to the pandemic. But that didn't stop him from predicting an early spring for
his community, which sits roughly halfway between Trenton and Newark.
"Yay!!! Mel - you are my favorite Groundhog!!! a fan wrote to the rodent on Facebook.
The longest-running Groundhog Day tradition in the
U.S. centers around Punxsutawney
Phil in Pennsylvania. Other season-predicting animals include Dunkirk Dave and Staten Island Chuck — Mel's neighbors in New
York — and Buckeye Chuck in Marion, Ohio.
The tradition of consulting a rodent for a sign of an early spring or a
late winter stems from the Christian tradition of Candlemas — which itself has
roots in pagan observances.
"Candlemas was originally a Celtic festival
marking the 'cross-quarter day,' or midpoint of the season," according
to the Almanac website. "The Sun is halfway on its advance from the
winter solstice to the spring equinox."
February 1, 2022
Rewrite these sentences without changing their meaning
Mel has offered his weather predictions for
years. Mel has died.
Mel, whose…
They say Mel recently crossed over the rainbow
bridge.
Mel…
"We will work hard
on getting us a new weather prognosticator for next year," the Wranglers
said
The Wranglers said
that…
Mel spent last year's
Groundhog Day in quarantine, due
to the pandemic.
Since…
Mel spent last year's
Groundhog Day in quarantine, due
to the pandemic.
If there…
KEY
Mel,, whose
predictions have been offered for years, has died.
Mel is said
to have recently crossed the rainbow bridge.
The Wranglers said taht
they would work hard on getting a new prognosticator for the following year
Since there
was a pandemic, Mel spent last year’s Groundhog Day in quarantine..
If there had not been a pandemic
last year, Mel would not have spent Groundhog Day in quarantine.
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