Winter Calendar 2021

Polar Plunges, Music, Mardi Gras, and More

Taking a quick dip has a completely different meaning when the water is teeth-chattering cold. 

Every year in January and February, the Special Olympics conducts its fundraising Polar Plunge® in countless locations nationally. Within the Commonwealth, its annual events in Fairfax, New River, Richmond, Prince William County, and Virginia Beach are the largest in the state where volunteers, who raised funds pledged by others, take a head-to-toe dip in the frigid winter waters. Many other local events conduct nearly identical events with similar names—Polar Bear Plunge, Polar Bear Challenge, Freezin’ For a Reason, etc.—to benefit their chosen charities or local chapters of the Special Olympics. 

Due to pandemic restrictions, participants are urged to create their own Polar Plunge® at home this year and use it to raise funds for the Special Olympics before its virtual ceremony on Feb. 6. (PolarPlunge.com)

Likewise, the 7th annual Shiver in the River in Richmond, which benefits the Keep Virginia Beautiful program that addresses litter and recycling problems, has been reimagined for 2021 as a statewide project that kicks off on Feb. 27. 

Although the coronavirus has put a momentary hold on cold-water dips en masse, the tradition has been going on for so many generations that there’s little doubt anything can stop it in the long run. The bizarre tradition dates back to New Year’s Day 1904 when a group of members from the L Street Brownies were credited with having the first scheduled cold-water swim for large groups, according to the New England Historical Society. A men’s social club, the L Street Brownies scheduled their event for fun. Swimming in the cold waters of Boston’s Old Harbor and Dorchester Bay had been a tradition dating back to the Civil War. Indoor plumbing was so new at that time that even the wealthiest citizens didn’t have it installed in their homes yet. Consequently, hygiene issues were a daily problem and the public was encouraged to wash in the waters bounding the city.

When the young men of the L Street Brownies decided to use Jan. 1, 1904, as a date to collectively jump in the freezing waters to celebrate the new year, they had no idea that they were jumpstarting something that would become a global activity that isn’t just exhilarating, but also raises millions of dollars every year for charity. —By Scott Rowan

ARTS & EXHIBITIONS 

Jan. 29-Mar. 25, 2022

FOCUSED: A Century of Virginia Indian ResilienceHistoryIsFun.org