Polar Bear Plunge participants race into the cold water. (PHOTO/Jimmy O’Neill)
(Helen) – It was a dreary day with overcast skies and a slight mist in the air but that did not dampen the spirits of the Polar Bear plungers at Unicoi State Park, Saturday.
Over 100 spectators cheered on the 57 brave participants as they ran or dove into the lake.
The event included two raffles. The plungers raffle was for a stay at the lodge and Stacy Green won that. She and her whole family participated in the plunge. A second raffle involved participants guessing the air and water temperature. Barry Harrison’s guess was the closest to the actual temperatures of 38 degrees for the air and 44 degrees for the water. He won two jars of Unicoi Preserves.
All attendees, spectators and plungers could take part in another raffle that offered a variety of prizes. The other raffle prizes were for those who bought raffle tickets and they included gift certificates from Big Daddies, Nacoochee Village Tavern & Pizzeria, and La Cabana Restaurant, a gift basket from Nora Mill and smaller prizes from the Friends of Unicoi. Unicoi Lodge gave a two-night stay for two at the lodge with breakfast.
A large bonfire attracted a lot of attention before the plunge but was most appreciated by the plungers after they got out of the water. Surprisingly, even went wet, everyone was in good spirits. It was a fun event.
Polar Bear Plunge 2017
Unique State Park
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