Some brave swimmers will descend on the Winthrop Town Beach at noon Saturday to raise funds for Special Olympics Maine. They will be participating in the third annual “Ice Out Plunge,” in which anyone age 8 and over who has raised a minimum of $100 will get the chance to plunge into chilly Maranacook Lake. Both individuals and teams can participate.
Event organizer Charle Clark said she has been asked whether the Ice Out Plunge will still happen this year, given the lack of ice on Maranacook Lake this early in spring.
It will, stressed Clark, who works for the Winthrop Police Department.
In fact, the conditions are perfect, because the Ice Out Plunge was originally intended to coincide with the melting of lake ice in spring, but the event’s first two years were too cold for that to be the case, Clark said. Instead, members of the Maine Warden Service had to cut holes in the ice.
This year, the event will happen away from shore, Clark said. Hammond Lumber is installing a portable deck or two, she said, so that swimmers can still have the experience of plunging through a hole in front of a large crowd.
The event is organized by the Maine Law Enforcement Torch Run, a group that supports the work of Special Olympics Maine. Winthrop police and firefighters will be helping at the event along with Maine wardens, businesses such as The Red Barn and the radio station 92 Moose.
Registration for the plunge will take place from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Winthrop American Legion Post, 117 Bowdoin St. Outdoor activities begin at 10 a.m. The plunge is at noon and a party and free buffet will be held immediately afterward at the Winthrop American Legion Post 40. There will be a cash bar.
Participants will receive a commemorative long-sleeve shirt — which they’ll undoubtedly need after the plunge.
For more information, go to www.somaine.org or call Charle Clark at Winthrop Police Department at 377-7227.
Charles Eichacker — 621-5642
Twitter: @ceichacker
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