Pottstown’s very own Polar Bear Plunge will take place tomorrow morning at 10:30 am on the banks of the Schuylkill River in Riverfront Park. Participating polar bears – humans in varying states of undress – must sign a waiver ahead of time.
All of the New Year festivities, which are sponsored by the Borough Parks & Recreation Department, begin at 9 a.m. with registration for the Polar Bear swimmers. At the same time, all visitors can participate in a card game that involves swapping cards with other visitors and getting to meet new people.
At 10 a.m., the National Anthem will be sung and the crowd will hear a few words from Mayor Bonnie Heath. The Christmas Tree Toss will begin and the bonfire will be lit by the Philadelphia Steam Fire Company. There may be a new event added, such as a fruit cake toss. Then, at 10:30 a.m., the swimmers will descend into the Schuylkill’s waters. Afterwards, they can dry off and warm up by the bonfire and purchase hot dogs and sauerkraut, which is supposed to bring good fortune in the coming year.
Weather.com is calling for partly cloudy skies and a high of 53 degrees. The river waters will definitely be colder than that. If you’re up for a bracing way to start off 2012 and want to be part of a community event that keeps getting bigger and better, get out to Riverfront Park tomorrow morning!
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