2018 Camden Winterfest

Polar Plunge fundraiser exceeds goal, draws cold-weather crowd

Sun, 02/04/2018 - 8:00pm

    ROCKLAND – The girls’ combined siren song of high pitched moans continued back on land, lingering for another moment as they wiped the ice water from their bare skin.

    Steam wafted from their wet bodies, as well as from others within the group of 25 individuals who’d stripped down to their Lycra in 14 degree temperatures and raced into Camden Harbor.

    This year’s Polar Plunge, held annually as part of Camden’s Winterfest, pulled in $6,000 (their goal was $5,000) in fundraising for the event’s host, Coastal Mountains Land Trust. Top individual fund raisers were Crusty Crustacean, $2,341, Geb’s Polar Plunge, $613.44, and Tessa, $517.

    Commercial support for the event, which included a fire in the brazier, a carpet stretching through the tide line, and hot chocolate was provided by Boynton McKay, Evergreen Home Performance and ReVision Energy.

    EMTs from North East Mobile Health watched nearby, and members of the Camden Fire Department, in full coldwater rescue suits, came prepared to pull any suddenly weakened individuals from the brink.

    No one needed medical assistance.