On a chilly mid-February day, dozens of area residents gathered at St. Joseph’s Lake Contrary with a common goal  – to jump in the lake!  No, they weren’t just looking for kicks on a Saturday afternoon.  These brave souls splashed into the frigid waters for the 9th Annual Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics.

The parade of costumes kicked off the event with the best costume award going to the Lego Team from Northwest Missouri State University.  Around 2pm, the moment of truth was greeted by a 35 degree air temperature and 40 degree water temperature as 38 teams took the plunge and helped raise over $53,000.

This year’s “unbearable” Polar Plunge was the culmination of a week of fundraising events which included the 5k Down the Belt Highway and DJ Dan Michael’s 24 hour stay on the roof of Apple Market, as well as his Friday night Pub Crawl.

You can still make your online donation here.