WESTFIELD – In what has become an annual rite of passage for many local aquatic daredevils, Westfield’s Amelia Park Children’s Museum (APCM) Penguin Plunge, held at the end of January at Hampton Ponds State Park, will once agian attract spectators and plungers from near and far to benefit the Amelia Park Children’s Museum.
The event, which started 11 years ago, will be held on January 31 at 1 p.m., and has raised around $200,000 for the museum, according to Diana McLean, Westfield’s community development block grant coordinator. McLean also serves as board president of the APCM.
“Last year, we were just shy of $26,000 raised, so it was a good year,” said McLean, adding that 136 men, women and children took the plunge into the 31 degree water.
McLean said that occasionally the Westfield Police Department officers at the event keep count. She said over 1,000 people were in attendance last year.
“I know we max out of the parking spaces early,” she said. “If there isn’t snow, we’ll park people on the grass, but we’ve never not had snow.”
McLean stated that cash prizes and awards will be given to the best individual and team costumes and the Penguin Excelsior, the top fundraising plunger, and that efforts are being made by local media outlets and organizations to ensure this year’s event is the biggest and best yet.
“We’ve met with some students at the (Westfield State) university to get their help in volunteering, as well as plunging,” she said. “We still have an agreement with Xfinity, (Comcast) who will be advertising for us in the Springfield/Hartford market starting next week.”
McLean added that The Westfield News and CBS 3 Springfield will be serving as media sponsors for the event.
According to McLean, 26 cities and towns were represented at the event, with West Stockbridge being the farthest distance traveled. She said that the C&S Wholesale team, who dressed as superheroes before diving through a hole in the eight-inch thick ice, had 16 members of their group last year, the largest group of all participants.
“Our oldest participant was a 66-year old woman and our youngest was a five-year old boy,” said McLean.
Last year’s Penguin Excelsior, Rick Barry, a member of the APCM’s Board of Directors and vice president of Holyoke’s Volleyball Hall of Fame, raised over $3,000 for the 2014 Plunge and is looking to haul in even more this year.
“(Fundraising) is going ok. It started a little slow but it usually picks up after the new year,” said Barry. “I’ve raised about $750 thus far and last year I was a little bit ahead of that at this point.”
Barry said that the presence of the Amelia Park Children’s Museum is something he would have enjoyed as a child growing up in the community.
“It is a great cause and it is something I want to see grow,” he said. “I would encourage everyone to donate, whether they’re plunging or not.”
As for how it feels to brave the frigid January temperatures of Hampton Ponds, Barry – who will be plunging for a 10th time – says it isn’t as bad as people would think.
“I’m a seasoned vet at this point,” he said with a chuckle. “That initial shock gets you when you jump in, but once you acclimate yourself to the air… if the air is 20 degrees and the watr is 35 degrees, it is actually warmer.”
