Icy day for Yarmouth polar bears
Yarmouth event draws 11 participants, benefits fire department
Well before the Yarmouth polar bear dippers took their annual New Year’s Day plunge in Lake Milo, it was the temperature that had dipped, but the bitter early-winter cold spell didn’t stop 11 people from taking part in this year’s event. Firefighters were on hand for safety purposes and also to clear away ice for the Jan. 1 polar bear event at Lake Milo in Yarmouth.
With a temperature of about -10 C and the wind chill making it feel more like -20 or worse, this year’s dip – a fundraiser for the Yarmouth Fire Department – was among the coldest since the Yarmouth event began a dozen years or so ago.
Considering the weather, fire department spokesman Stewart Deveau said they were happy with the number of participants.
“You’ve got to have guts to do something like that,” he said, referring to the dippers.
Firefighters had to saw through the ice this year in order to give participants access to the water.
Aside from clearing away ice for dippers, firefighters were there to ensure the safety of those taking part.
Deveau said he was impressed with the number of spectators who came out to watch and show their support.
Contacted the morning after this year’s event, Deveau said the unofficial fundraising total for this year was about $2,000.
Prior to the event’s latest edition, the annual polar bear event was said to have raised over $15,000 for the Yarmouth Fire Department since 2007.
The Yarmouth event is sponsored by Boston Pizza.
Polar bear events were held in a number of Nova Scotia communities, part of what has become a New Year’s Day tradition across the country. Spectators assembled by the Lake Milo boat club for the 2018 polar bear dip.