A chilly plunge for a good cause

SHARON, Pa.

Music blared, creating a party-like atmosphere for the people filling the Quaker Steak and Lube parking lot. Many held umbrellas as rain, rather than snow, fell.

The air temperature – about 54 degrees – was the warmest it’s been for the Shenango Valley Polar Bear Foundation’s annual New Year’s Day plunge.

But the water of the Shenango River was cold at the third annual event held Saturday – about 37 degrees.

“It was actually a lot colder than I thought it was going to be,” said Jennifer Yarian, of Sharpsville, Pa. “You jump in there and you try to get out and you can’t move. But it was worth it. It was fun.”

Yarian went all in, ducking her head under the water and coming out dripping, in true polar bear fashion.

But the worst part, she said, was her toes. Though she wore shoes into the river, her toes ended up very cold, she said.

Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com