Hundreds Will Brave Elements For First Annual 'Popsicle Plunge' This Weekend

ESSEX, Md. (WJZ) -- If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the folks who put on the Polar Bear Plunge near Annapolis should blush.

As Mike Schuh reports, something called the Popsicle Plunge is coming this weekend.

Go about as far east as you can in Baltimore County, where the marsh, water and sky all meet, and you will have arrived at Marshy Point. More specifically, the nature center.

The building and the staff are courtesy of the county, but the food for their bard owl or their surprisingly beautiful turtles or fish or interpretive displays... Well, now there they need help--help from a council of supporters.

And it's not cheap.

"Oh, we spend $5,000 to $6,000 a year simply on animal foods," said Kirk Dreier, Marshy Point Nature Center.

So, to keep the bear at bay, the program is waddling along. Inspiration came by looking out the window.

"Basically, I was kind of thinking Polar Bear Plunge," employee Brandi Horseman said. "Then when I said, 'Maybe let's do something like a plunge... mini style.' And they're like, 'We can make that happen.' And I'm like, 'We can?'"

But it had to have a catchy name.

"So she called it the Popsicle Plunge," said Dreier.

Yes, the Popsicle Plunge. Over the years, these people have paid over $40,000 for the privilege.

"The water, with these temperatures that we have now, it's going to feel hot almost to your feet," Dreier said.

Whatever it takes to get 200 plungers to show up and keep these programs going.

The final thing you need to know about the Popsicle Plunge is that it's not at Marshy Point, it's a couple of miles away at Rocky Point, where they can handle the crowds.

The cost of the plunge is $25. If you wish, you are able to show up at Rocky Point on Saturday between noon and 1:30 p.m. to register for the 2 p.m. dip in the bay.

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