JACKSONPORT, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – More than 100 people decided to splash into the new year on the shores of Door County.
Jacksonport held its 33rd annual Polar Bear Plunge on Lake Michigan Tuesday.
With the water temperature at a chilly 32 degrees and the air temperature at an even cooler 22 degrees, some sported bathing suits, costumes and even formal wear for the dip.
“It’s an exuberant way to start the year. Beautiful day on the beach. I think 2019 is going to be a good year,” said president and founder of the Jacksonport Polar Bear Club, J.R. Jarosh.
Donning a suit and tie, Jarosh tells FOX 11 he started the New Year’s Day tradition in 1986.
“I was curious, curious if I could go in Lake Michigan every month of the year and now clearly, it’s kind of caught on.”
Last year, plungers had to face one-degree air temperatures, the coldest on record for the event.
