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Polar Plunge 2017
Trent Hills Independent
Campbellford — A friendly bet between two brothers from Marmora landed them in the 25th annual Polar Bear Plunge, held Saturday, Jan. 28 ... a festival that attracts participants for many different reasons, but the main one is to raise money for the local hospital.
Peter and Ron Fudge decided to bet on whether or not Ron’s wife Jill, who is pregnant, would be having a boy or a girl.
“We bet on the sex of the baby but it is still undetermined so we both lost the best,” said Peter laughing.
The plunge is a first for the brothers who took the lost bet in stride and donned tutu dresses and leggings in red and white in honour of the theme of this year’s plunge, Canada’s 150th birthday.
Their pirouette and tutu dance were captured on a video which has been posted on Ron’s Facebook page for all to see.
Peter’s fiancée Nicole was there with Jill to cheer on the brothers who agreed they probably are not going to make another bet for some time.
This year’s plunge had 53 registered, a record-setting number, but organizer Sharon Apted of the Auxiliary to the Campbellford Memorial Hospital, which hosts the event, said several took a “last minute out.”
Some of the plungers are regulars including Rob Milligan who is a teacher at the local high school. This is his seventh year in the fundraiser. “It seems to get harder every year but I don’t know if it’s just my age,” he commented with a grin. He plunged with family members.
And then there was Lynn Moore of Madoc who said, "I had this on my bucket list to do.” She was with her friends Jen Welch of Belleville and Lisa Banducci of Frankford. “My sister Lori bailed on us ... we call her the bailer,” said Lisa laughing.
Within half an hour the plunge was over and thanks to the Trent Hills Fire Department who had firefighters in the water everyone went home safe. No tally yet on the amount of money raised.
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