(Host) Frigid air temperatures didn’t stop several hundred Vermonters from taking a swim in Lake Champlain this weekend. Special Olympics Vermont held its annual “Penguin Plunge” fundraiser in Burlington Saturday.
Crowds of spectators and blaring music created a carnival atmosphere at the city’s waterfront park. As for the participants, they seemed to enjoy splashing into the icy water:
(Sound of people splashing, cheering.) “I feel cold right now. But you know, the water is warmer than the air. So we should be spending more time in there, right?”
(Host) Many of the people who took the plunge dressed in costumes of all kinds – from hula dancers to Fred Flintstone.
There’s no final tally yet of how much money Special Olympics Vermont raised during the event. Last year 623 people raised nearly $200,000 for the organization, by taking a mid-February jump in the lake.