Delaware’s Polar Bear Plunge: a sure sign of spring
Delaware’s Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Delaware is Sunday. Always a sure sign of spring.
In its 20th year for those hardy enough to brave the elements of wintry wind and water, the Polar Bear Plunge will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. at Rehoboth Beach. When the plunge started in 1992 there were 78 plungers who raised $7,000. To date, the Special Olympics has raised more than $5 million.
Last year, the scheduled date hit in the midst of a month of consecutive snow storms. Though the event was moved to early March, that group of plungers was still able to raise $500,000.
This is the third year the city of Rehoboth Beach will host the event. In addition to the plunge, there are children’s activities set throughout the weekend. While a 5K Plunge to Run is set to go, an ice-sculpting contest has been cancelled because the forecast calls for rain Saturday.
Another main event for Sunday with be the Polar Bear Cake-off. Dana Herbert, recently crowned the “Next Great Baker” by TLC, will compete with five other contestants to create a cake that best captures the mood of the plunge.
Herbert spoke on this weekend’s edition of First, seen on WHYY-TV 12 at 5:30 and 10 p.m. Friday.
Voting for best cake will be done with a $1 donation to the Special Olympics.
The plunge is one of the largest fundraising events in Delaware. All funds support year-round programs including sports training, athletic competition and other activities for more than 3,500 children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Plungers, beware: The air temperature for Sunday is expected to hover around 40 degrees. The water temperature on Friday was just 38.
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