With low temperatures already dipping into the 30s, a very chilly event is being planned for next month that’s one of the biggest fundraisers for Special Olympics in Iowa.
Lindsay Eastin, a spokeswoman for the charity, says the Polar Plunge is scheduled for November 3rd in Fort Dodge.
Participants raise money for Special Olympics and then run out into the lake at Kennedy Park and splash around, though in years past, ice on the surface of the lake needed to first be cleared away by construction machinery before the plungers could get wet.
Last year’s event in Fort Dodge raised $7,000 with 50 participants. Eastin says there will be a similar event in Des Moines later in November.
There are 12 Polar Plunges across Iowa during the year and then there’s the Super Plunge where people plunge 24 times for 24 hours. All proceeds will help Iowa’s Special Olympics athletes in competitions around the state.
Eastin says participants in Fort Dodge will do their plunge, then have a group lunch where a host of awards will be passed out.
Polar Plunge events are held in Ames, Davenport, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Indianola, Iowa City, Mt. Pleasant, various spots in northwest Iowa, Waterloo and Sioux City.
For more information, visit: www.soiowa.org
By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City