About theJacksonport Polar Bear Club

The 32nd annual swim was one for the record books – we had the lowest swim time air temperature to date in the club’s 32 year history. The swim time air temperature was 1 degree F (still above zero!) with wind chills nearing -20 F. So it wasn’t real warm, but the water temperature in Lake Michigan was 32.5 degrees F, which in comparison felt downright balmy. Fortunately the sun was out for the more than 200 brave souls who took the plunge on 1/1/2018 at Lakeside Park in Jacksonport. A HUGE thank you to the Jacksonport Fire Department and the rest of the emergency crew that was on hand to make the 32nd annual plunge as safe as it could be on a day with such challenging temperature conditions. The ice steps along the shore had be cut in with chain saws prior to the swim, but it helped make entering and exiting the lake relatively easy in spite of the ice that had built up along the shore. Happy New Year!

What a great day for the 31st annual Jacksonport Polar Bear Club Swim! Conditions were nice with air and water temperatures in the 30’s for the estimated 800-900 swimmers that took the plunge today on 1/1/2017. Swimmers were from at least 22 states and 2 foreign countries (France & Canada) along with another couple thousand spectators on the beach to cheer the swimmers on. It was a great swim! Happy New Year!

The 30th annual Jacksonport Polar Bear Club swim was a great success! An air temperature of 25 degrees and a water temperature of 35 degrees welcomed swimmers and spectators to the beach at Lakeside Park in Jacksonport on New Year’s Day 2016. An estimated 800 swimmers hit the water for this year’s plunge. Swimmers were represented from 21 different states in the U.S. and 5 foreign countries.

A formal theme was encouraged for costumes this year in celebration of the 30th annual swim. Lots of great formal wear got wet today!

A big thank you to the Jacksonport Fire Department for their hard work in keeping the event safe for another year and also to the many volunteers that it takes to pull off a fun and enjoyable event.

Another shout-out goes to Dave Gohr from Loud Entertainment for providing the auditory refreshment on the beach – thank you Dave and crew for your great work in helping the swim be as fabulous as it is!

Time to start preparing for the 31st annual swim on Sunday January 1, 2017!

Some fresh morning snow helped set the scene on the beach and in Lakeside Park for the 29th annual swim. A full 20 degrees warmer than the 28th annual swim, the 22 degree air temperature at swim time felt balmy and a relatively light wind helped provide great conditions for this year’s swim. Fresh ice along the shore again created the need for entry and exit shoots to get in/out of the water, but all went smoothly and the crowd of about 600 swimmers was as enthusiastic as ever!  Once again, a BIG thank you to the Jacksonport Fire Department for their help with the swim this year – they helped make it a safe event for all. The countdown is on for the 30th annual swim on 1/1/2016!

A rather chilly New Year’s Day brought a slightly smaller but no less enthusiastic crowd to the beach at Lakeside Park for the 28th annual swim. Our coldest swim to date with air temperatures at about 2 degrees and wind chills well below zero, an icy shoreline helped dictate the entrance and exit points into Lake Michigan and that kept us from doing our traditional “everybody in at once” philosophy but everyone that went in came back out so it was a successful swim and a great start to 2014 no matter how you look at it!  A BIG thank you to the Jacksonport Fire Department for their help with the swim this year – they helped make it a safe event for all.  Here’s to a slightly warmer 29th annual swim!

The 27th annual swim was a big hit! Sunny skies and relatively light winds made this year’s dip seem mild in comparison to some years. Due to ice conditions on the beach, we created lanes this year – an entrance and an exit – which made the flow of swimmers go pretty smooth. A big thanks to the Jacksonport Fire Department for providing assistance on the beach and out in the water. Hope to see you on the beach next year for our 28th annual swim!

It’s over! Certainly one of the coldest swims we’ve had, with high winds and waves breaking way out in the lake, but the sun came out late in the morning even as the temperature was dropping. Most of December’s snow had been blown away and/or melted by late December’s warm temps, but big waves and large icebergs made the swim a little difficult. Nothing polar bears can’t handle! We had Polar Bears from 21 states and Wales, UK!

It’s over! It was one of the coldest New Year’s Days in a long time, but the expected snow never came and the wind and waves were not a problem. We had visitors from 21 US states, two Canadian provinces and far away Germany, Russia and Nicaragua. A good time was had by all except perhaps Rosie the pig, who was quite out of her element. If you have some interesting or unusual pictures, send them to us and we’ll post them here.

It was a very windy and blustery day in Jacksonport this time, and it certainly felt a lot colder than the temperature would indicate.

We had swimmers from 22 states and 2 other countries (Poland and Brazil) this year.

A beautiful day for a Polar Bear Swim! With Favre undergoing surgery today and a great Packer win last night, the Polar Bear Gods smiled on us and none of the rain or snow materialized. Just a few low rollers coming in on the lake, no wind, clear skies and absolutely no snow or ice on the beach. We went in on the South side of the old pier where it was shallow and mostly sandy. A deer was seen swimming out into the lake about noon, so there were more than just bears in the water!

Cloudy, but no wind or waves at all this year, which made ideal weather for a Polar Bear Swim.

Cloudy, and with an east wind picking up, the Jacksonport beach was again littered with people with nothing better to do with their day.

Shoreline conditions were good this year, unlike Hawaii, which has a critical shortage of snow and ice, we hear.

Thanks to Chris & Steve Vuco, Dennis Connolly, and the Jarosh family for helping with the photos. Dennis doubled as interviewer for the video that was shown on Sturgeon Bay’s Cable Channel 18.

An ideal day for polar bears, cloudy but with a brisk wind. Some ice slush drifted in in the morning, but didn’t have time to freeze before the plunge.

The night before the 17th Annual Swim, the shore was ice-free and snow-free, but the following morning so much slush ice had been pushed in by the waves that some early swimmers found their legs scratched and bleeding from small ice cuts. The men in red cleared several paths to the open water, but it took some time for all participants to get wet and get out. Nature, you are a cruel mother.

At least no cameramen fell into the water this year, but some wore waders to get a fish’s eye view.

Covered by all the major media and several dogs, the 16th Annual Swim was more fun than ever! A beautiful, bright sunny day with fluffy clouds greeted a capacity audience and swimmers. The lake was fairly calm and there was no shelf ice this year, so it was easy for everyone to get wet all at once in shallow water. It was over before you knew it had started!

MC Joe Jarosh was on the bullhorn as usual as official timekeeper.

Swimmers came from 18 states and even Finland. Now that’s real dedication to the sport!

With the water warmer than the air, a bright sunny day greeted about 500 people who showed off their courage to several thousand much dryer people who tried to stay on the shore. That was not an easy task, as a large chunk of ice broke off just as the countdown reached “…1” and everyone jumped at once! The usual Green Bay TV crews chewed up some tape and a few spectators came by kayak. Joe Jarosh showed off his MC talents on the bullhorn as the countdown drew near.

A bright sunny day greeted about 600 people who took the dip this time and several thousand much warmer people performed the indispensable role of observer. Besides the TV crews, we were buzzed by a stunt pilot in a small yellow plane trailing colored smoke and some spectators came by rowboat. Joe Jarosh was the MC with the bullhorn who kept everyone in line and informed of the countdown.

Thanks to Loren Semler who supplied many of the photos.

Through these portals passed the coldest swimmers in Door County. Between 175 and 300 people took the dip this time. The number depends on who you ask, and several thousand much warmer people performed the vital role of observer, including several dogs, two llamas and three TV crews.

Now estimated as one of the largest Polar Bear events in the state, about 300 people enjoyed ideal (for them) air temperatures and water conditions, hailing from seven states including California and Texas. “There is definitely something in the water,” Heidi Hodges said, but was she referring to the swimmers?

Braving the worst ice conditions yet (does nature abhor a Polar Bear?) and pushing the ice floes aside, more than 100 swimmers and 500 spectators took part this time. Due to the shore and ice conditions, the usual quick mass plunge became an hour-long event as the insane had to wait in line to jump in small groups, then climb out using ladders.

This year the event made national news and a small picture was printed in the Christian Science Monitor. Once again (see 1989), the TV Channel 5 news crew became part of the story when Terry Kovarik became an involuntary Polar Bear by falling through the ice accidentally on purpose.

Describing the strong winds and choppy waves with floating ice chunks as “like a giant slurpee,” reporter Jon Gast joined the now triple-digit crowd of swimmers in the noontime jump into the lake. Although some had hoped to come down with the flu or worse to give them a good excuse to stay home, most people had no such luck. T-shirts with the new JPPBC logo were sold with the profits going to the Fire Department, who provided the bright-red-attired frogmen (icemen?) as safety & rescue crew.

Once again, a large crowd was on hand to ask the question, “Why?” It was answered by a first-page article in the Green Bay Press-Gazette that said, “Hunh?”

“Last one in is a frozen egg!” said the ice. “Floop!” suggested the water.

The largest crowd of swimmers and fakers yet assembled for this annual event frolicked in the surf with beachballs and frisbees, watched over by two TV camera crews and firemen in bright red rescue suits. “You get really warm in these things when you work a little,” Fire Chief Don Martinson said to Door County Advocate reporter Joe Knaapen. Maybe the cold affects more than just the swimmers.

A larger crowd was expected this year of both participants and spectators. “If you want to come to watch, dress warmly, because it’s cold outside, you know,” wrote Door County Advocate columnist Heidi Hodges, who seems to have suffered a name change (did repeated cold dips get to her?). The Polar Bears were assisted by the Jacksonport Fire Department, anxious to try out their new rescue raft. The sauna at the Square Rigger generously provided relief for swimmers displaying what one observer called “The Jacksonport January Tan.”

The swim date was changed for this and subsequent years to always fall on New Year’s Day. This eliminates one of the last excuses friends have given: “Oh, I’d love to join you, but unfortunately, I have to work at the time you plan to swim,” they would say. But no longer!

With Club membership now up to 14, the Door County Advocate considered the annual event to be front-page news for the first time. Heidi Reiche reported it faithfully in her column and Green Bay TV Channel 2 showed up again, trying to keep their powder and camera dry.

With Club membership growing by leaps and bounds, this year twelve brave souls including ex-Packer Larry “The Rock” McCarren took the plunge, reported Door County Advocate reporter Heidi Reiche, even though it is well known that Packers hate Bears. As an experienced Polar Bear and participant, Heidi noted that lesser-known media personalities such as Dan Rather and Connie Chung were not seen among the icebergs.

“Three Times The Fun This Time” read the headline of Heidi Reiche’s Door County Advocate column as she recalled joining J. R. Jarosh and Richard Herschleb in the plunge which was growing in popularity enough to attract 20 spectators. Green Bay TV Channel 11 said they had better things to do (imagine that!) but Channel 2 volunteered a camera and well-bundled crew. This time the TV crew did not get in the water deliberately or otherwise.

Huddling together for warmth, so to speak, Heidi and J.R. joined forces this year (see the previous year’s text) to form the combined Jacksonport Polar Bear Club.

The Third Annual Event of the Polar Bear Club drew the usual crowd of two spectators and one now veteran participant, J. R. Jarosh. At attempt at choreography was made by staging an auxiliary plunge off nearby Cave Point, which wasn’t any warmer than expected. AP, UP, CNN, NBC, ABC and CBS were notable by their absence.

This year the launching of a similar event was attempted in Baileys Harbor by Heidi Reiche. Heidi convinced Green Bay TV station channel 5 to send a camera. Unfortunately, it was operated by a person who lost an argument with the ice shelf, rendering the person wet, the camera inoperable and the pictures unobtainable. Perhaps this is why that TV station had cold feet about reporting about Polar Bears for the next few years.

The next year J. R. and Heidi wisely joined forces.

J. R. Jarosh, a year older but possibly not wiser, is again the only member of the Polar Bear Club to get wet this year.

“J. R. Jarosh became the first member of the Jacksonport Polar Bear Club by taking a dip in the icy waters of Lake Michigan,” said Martha Lambiotte in the January 15,1987, Door County Advocate, the only known news article about the founding event.