North Beach Polar Bear Plunge

Over 175 people took a dip in the icy Chesapeake Bay on New Year’s Day as part of North Beach’s Polar Bear Plunge, an annual event since 1996. Photo by Mitchelle Stephenson for the Capital.

By Mitchelle Stephenson
Published in The Capital on January 5, 2009

Hundreds turned out in North Beach on New Year’s Day to ring in the New Year with a “polar bear swim” in the Chesapeake Bay. The air was a brisk 39 degrees, but it was the water that really got the swimmers shivering — the water temperature measured 35 degrees at the time of the 2 p.m. swim.

Fortunately, the water had warmed up from previous days, although ice chunks still floated near the shore as the nearly 200 people ran in, dunked themselves, and then ran out of the water. Meanwhile hundreds of the less-brave watched from the shore.

David Holson, who hails from Dunkirk on the Anne Arundel side of the county line, said he came down for the day “just for fun.” He brought Lothian resident Chris Tonnesen.
“I couldn’t say no! It is a once in a lifetime experience,” Chris said as the two men trembled on the shoreline after their brief dip.

“It was cold.” David added. “This is our warm up for Sandy Point,” he explained, referencing the upcoming January 24 Polar Bear Swim at Sandy Point State Park that benefits the Maryland State Police. That event has attracted as many as 7,500 participants in years past, while the North Beach plunge is a smaller annual occurrence.

North Beach Mayor Michael Bojokles estimated that 175 people actually took to the water on January 1, 2009. Onlookers added another couple hundred to the tally.

Unlike the MSP Polar Bear Swim, the North Beach event is not a fundraiser. Mayor Bojokles said that the event is held just to showcase the town. There is no fee to participate.

They’ve been doing it each New Year’s Day since 1996. The mayor also pointed out that while the town is officially in Calvert County, many south county residents, especially those in Rose Haven and Holland Point, consider North Beach a part of their own neighborhood.

“We get a lot of people from Anne Arundel participating,” he said.

The mayor reported that the oldest participant was in her 80s, and the youngest this year was Eden Bradshaw, 7, who did it for the second time.

“I ran in and my feet got numb,” Eden said. Her mom got her a towel and a hot chocolate, and then they were off to roast marshmallows in front of the big bonfire on the town beach.

* * *

The Captain Salem Avery Museum in Shady Side has named Laurel Fletcher as the museum’s new executive director. Laurel officially took over on January 1, but she spent the weeks prior to that checking out other museums in the area and working the Shady Side museum’s tree trimming party for children in mid-December.

Laurel is originally from Montana, but has spent a good deal of time on the east coast, earning her Master’s degree from the University of Delaware, and later working at Winterthur Museum and Country Estate, the former home of Henry Francis DuPont.

Laurel’s first task will be preparing the museum for its annual winter luncheon series, which begins on January 14 with a talk by Annapolis-based mystery writer Marcia Talley, author of the Hannah Ives series.

The events will run each Wednesday until February 18.

The talks will showcase a variety of historical and cultural subjects. The museum staff sets out a luncheon of homemade soup, breads, desserts and drinks. Each luncheon is set to begin at 11:30 a.m.

The talks are priced at $15 purchased separately, or $75 for the entire series.

Other speakers include J.T. Crawford, Julie Erickson, Patricia N. Gross, Chris Judy, and Barry Kessler. Make your reservations by calling 410-267-0654. The Captain Salem Avery Museum is located at 1418 Shady Side Road in Shady Side.