Dozens of people gathered in Malverne’s Chester A. Reese Veterans Memorial Park on a frigid morning on Monday for the village’s annual Groundhog Day celebration.
Mayor Tim Sullivan listened intently as groundhog Malverne Mel whispered a prognostication into his ear that surely came as no surprise to anyone in attendance.
“I do today proclaim that on the second day of February, in the year 2026, I was witness to Malverne Mel, who prognosticated to me that upon looking for his shadow it could surely be seen,” Sullivan said on the marmot’s behalf. “I must now announce that there will be six more weeks of winter.”
Mel wasn’t the only groundhog in the Northeast to predict a long winter instead of an early spring: To the east, Holtsville Hal was in agreement, and to the west, Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow as well.
Deputy Mayor Scott Edwards and village Trustee Megan O’Rourke-Schutta joined Sullivan to witness the prediction, as did U.S. Rep. Laura Gillen, State Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick and Nassau County Legislator Carrie Solages.
“This tradition will forever be near and dear to my heart,” Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick told the Herald, whose father helped begin the local tradition. “Seeing so many residents brave the cold is truly special, and hopefully Mel can reward them with an early spring next year.”
As it turned out, Mel was the only Long Island groundhog to makes his prognostication in front of a crowd. Hal appeared online, after his home, the Holtsville Ecology Site and Animal Preserve, in the Town of Brookhaven, closed to the public last month.
Malverne’s annual Groundhog Day celebration began in 1996, the result of a conversation between then Mayor Joseph Canzoneri and Barry Manning, then the editor of the Malverne Times, which later became the Herald. Canzoneri and Manning were looking for an event that would put Malverne on the map, and came up with the idea of hosting Malverne Mel. The inaugural celebration was held at Reese Park.
Since then, the event has changed in many ways. In 2003, Mel made his prediction alongside his female companion, Malverne Melissa. In 2008, the couple’s child, also named Mel, took over the responsibilities of chief seasonal prognosticator.
In 2011, Mel “phoned” in his prediction amid an ice storm that forced the cancellation of the outdoor ceremony. In 2017, the event moved from Reese Park to Crossroads Farm at Grossmann’s before returning to the park last year.
The winners of this year’s Groundhog Day poster contest, determined with the help of the event sponsor, the Malverne Civic Association, were on display in Malverne’s Long Island Rail Road station house. The artwork was created by students from Our Lady of Lourdes, Grace Lutheran, James A. Dever Elementary, Davison Avenue Intermediate and Maurice W. Downing Primary schools.
Mel comes to Malverne to make his prediction each year from his home at the Save the Animal Rescue Foundation. The Middle Island-based nonprofit cares for him in return for a donation that helps further the organization’s goal of providing a safe haven for injured animals. During the ceremony, Mel is handled only by his caretaker and Mayor Sullivan encourages attendees to learn more about the organization.
