VALLEY VIEW, Pa. — Folks in Schuylkill County wanted to ring in the new year by washing out 2022.
People gathered at Pine Creek near Valley View for the area's 13th annual Polar Bear Plunge.
"It is sort of a rite of passage to move in the new year, and a lot of people do it. I hear people all the time say this is on their bucket list; it is one of the things they always want to do," said Jim Reed, the event's organizer.
The event began with Pine Creek Pete, the event's polar bear mascot, rafting in. Then people rushed into Pine Creek to take the plunge. It was Lily and Jim Fenstermacher's first time.
"I showed it to her when I found it on Facebook, and she was all for it, and we are always up for crazy adventures," said Jim Fenstermacher of Auburn.
"I held on to him when I was about to fall a couple of times and almost dragged him down with me," said Lily Fenstermacher.
Even with warmer temps this weekend, folks say the water still packed a punch.
"It has been colder in past years, wasn't too bad this year, but it was definitely frosty. My legs are still numb," said Edward Koropchak of Pottsville.
"Water temp is 39 degrees, but we have done this before where the air temp was like 17, and the water was 28, so, this is a balmy day compared to some days," added Reed.
People paid $25 to take a dip and have a nice warm meal after. The money goes to the Pine Creek Trout Nursery to help stock local creeks with fish.
"We get about 8,000 Fingerling Trout that we get from the fish commission, and we get them generally in September, and we raise them to adulthood, and we stock the creeks right around this whole area," Reed said.
More than 30 people participated in the plunge this year.
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