Waterford — Citing state budget cuts that have reduced hours for park staff, the Friends of Harkness Memorial State Park announced Monday that it has decided to cancel this year’s Family Day event, which has taken place in early September for the past 25 years.

The volunteer group said that the volunteer labor provided by its members to provide upkeep for the gardens and lead tours of Eolia, the mansion at the park, on summer weekends, is not sufficient to offset the cutbacks. Paid staff that would be needed for the event will not be available, according to a news release from the group.

The Family Day event was created to celebrate Mary Stillman Harkness and his family, who bequeathed the park to the state.

“The Friends’ board had a long discussion about the prospects for a successful Family Day this year, and concluded that the likely budget scenario after Labor Day is that there will not be sufficient state staff to perform event-related tasks that only state people can perform,” the news release said. “The board then reluctantly voted not to hold the event this year, with the hope things will improve to allow it next year. We will notify our numerous and generous partners that we regret this necessity. We especially want to ensure people not do a lot of advance planning only to be disappointed at the last minute.”

In the last several years, a food drive to assist Gemma Moran United Way Food Bank, the New London Community Meal Center, and the Waterford Interfaith Food Locker had become an integral part of the Harkness Family Day, the group said. It encouraged the community to continue to support the organizations.