The theme for Emporia’s 13th annual Polar Plunge was “Embrace Your Inner Polar Bear,” and Mother Nature certainly complied with temperatures below 20 degrees and a light coating of snowfall at Mouse Lake on Saturday.
Around 100 participants generated over $17,000 for Special Olympics. Undersheriff John Koelsch was pleased with the turnout, given the conditions and the fact the Polar Strut had to be canceled due to the snow and ice. He says the community support is now wide-ranging for the Plunge.
KVOE Program Director Scott Hayes, a one-time Plunger and now longtime organizer, thanked the community for its support.
Police Detective Dominick Vortherms says it’s all about the cause.
Marjean Anderson raised the most as an individual with over $4,600 raised, while Maynard Early Childhood Center raised the most as a team with almost $1,000.
Costume winners were Anderson for best individual costume and Emporia Arts Center for best team costume. Emporia’s Sigma Tau Epsilon was the group with the most participants.
2 pm Saturday: Temperatures around 20 degrees make for truly Polar Plunge
Emporia’s 2019 Polar Plunge was truly a frigid — yet heartwarming — event.
Air temperatures were around 20 degrees and wind chills were in the single digits when the main event launched at Mouse Lake on Saturday. Still, around 100 residents participated — many in large groups, making this one of the quickest Plunges in the 13-year history of the event locally.
Preliminary totals are above $17,000. Money from the Plunge benefits Special Olympics Kansas in several ways, including the annual games in Wichita as well as volunteer T-shirts and medical screening for athletes. Proceeds from related activities like breakfast, lunch and a silent auction at the Emporia Senior Center go to local Special Olympics teams.
Photos by Chuck Samples/KVOE News
{gallery}Polar Plunge 2019{/gallery}
