This Year's Plunge Theme Presidential

Friday, January 1, 2016, 11 a.m., Cascade Lake

— from Martin Taylor —

Plunge 2011, photo by Marten Jager

Be Orcas and be alive on New Year’s Day 2016! Revel in a wonderful Orcas Tradition: Orcas Island Rowing’s annual “Polar Bear Plunge.” Residents and visitors alike will charge headlong into Cascade Lake en masse. Within a few seconds you will re-emerge happy to have accomplished the feat, shocked into a clearer perspective on the world and ready for what 2016 may bring. The plunge is open to all comers. All you need is the attitude! The event starts VERY promptly at 11:00 a.m. on New Year’s Day. It is too cold to stand around in your skivvies. So be there early and ready to go!

This is our 19th annual plunge. All proceeds from T-shirt sales and donations benefit the Orcas Island Rowing Team (a 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit). There will be warm beverages & yummy treats, and a hot fire to help with recuperation after the deed is done. The Plunge will be at the traditional location at the ‘swim area’ at the north end of Cascade Lake.

T-shirt artists: Devon Mann and Henry McMurray

The “Plunge” event is a low key fundraiser for the Orcas Island junior rowing club (OIR). Donations are gratefully accepted at the Plunge. Each year a commemorative tee shirt is created. This year the theme for the event is “The Presidential Plunge”. Costumes are strongly encouraged. Dress as your favorite candidate if you like … there are SO many ‘wonderful’ choices!!

T-shirts are available at the event for $25 each. Henry McMurray & Devon Mann were the artists this year. If you can’t make it to the event you can still order tee shirts from Tina Brown tinabrown@rockisland.com.

The first Plunge was on January 1, 1998. That year local sheriff’s deputies Ray Clever, Ed Commet and Herb Crowe were auctioned off to jump in the lake. Since then there has been a theme for each Plunge. Some rare historical shirts from past years will also be available at the event. So far the themes have been:

1999 – Winter Luau
2000 – Millennium Morning Toga Party
2001 – Soggy Prom
2002 – Soggy Super heroes
2003 – Washed-up Rock Stars
2004 – Frozen 50′s Soggy Sock Hop
2005 – Masquerade
2006 – Frozen Farmers
2007 – Freeze Your Booty
2008 – Hypothermic Haberdashery & Frigid Frocks
2009 – Save the Polar Bear
2010 – Hippy Nippy Dippy
2011 – Glacial Getaway
2012 – Frozen In Time
2013 – I Survived!
2014 – The Morning After
2015 – Disco Dive
2016 – The Presidential Plunge