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                 Gilbert Lodge Blog
         The life and times of Mark and Paula Persons
Saturday, March 5, 2016: 

Preparations were in progress for the annual Polar Plunge.

The goal was to raise money for the Special Olympics Minnesota to help those with special needs.  

Half of the fun was the costume contest.  Lots of colorful entries this year....even a clown!
 
Which one is the Roman Sea God Neptune?
 		 At least Superwoman knew which fish to pick for this event.
 
It takes an interesting kind of person to jump into freezing water for a charity event.
 
One costume team, the Polar-Ticians, made a big hit.   They included President Reagan, Donald Trump, then Hillary and Bill Clinton.
Lots of hoots and laughs over this group.
 
Just half of the costume contest participants are shown here.   
 
The oldest participant was Charles "Chuck" Hanson of Brainerd.  He won't say how old he is!  Chuck is seen here dressed as a woman with a big hug from his daughter Bergen in a silver dress along with two other Special Olympics athletes on the left and the right.  The Brainerd VFW Club team won first place in the costume competition.  Good going, Chuck and crew!   

Chuck's friends had a hard time recognizing him in that costume.  He is the 6th District Youth Activities Chairman and volunteer for the VFW Club.  Chuck is likely to hear big time about this "out of character" performance.
Hold your breath!  The time came to start jumping into a 6 by 10 foot hole in the ice of Pelican Lake at the Breezy Point Resort.  SPLASH!!!
Rescue divers were there just in case something went wrong.  Fortunately they just got cold and wet that day.
 
Then Chuck Hanson and his daughter jumped in. 
 		 She found the experience very cold indeed!
 
Then, of course, there were those who clowned around before jumping in.
 
Big cheers by by those who had not yet jumped and elation by many when it was all over.
 
Some took flying leaps.  SPLASH!!
 
One fireman stood on his hands to do a back flip.  Apparently this man likes water in summer and winter.
The event continued until some 326 people had plunged into the icy water, raising about $79,000 for charity.
Quote of the day:    People of the Northland get a bit of Cabin Fever, causing them to do strange things at this time of year.   Mark    < Back to previous story Ahead to next story >

Questions, Comments?  Email Mark Persons  teki@mwpersons.com

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page last edited 03/14/2016