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After testing the cold water with her finger, Madison Burnard of Nisswa jumped with her uncle, Dustin Hausker of Brainerd. Hausker told his niece heĠd wear fairy wings at the plunge if she raised at least $700. She raised $850.
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The lollipops won the group costume contest.
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Crosslake firefighters Seth Wannebo and Chris Leonard plunged. Fire department auxiliary members Amy Wannebo and Rachel Bulman jumped right after them.
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A record 296 people participated in the Polar Bear Plunge on Saturday, March 6, in Breezy Point, raising $54,000 for Special Olympics.
Jumping by ones, twos or threes, they braved the frigid water of Pelican Lake at Breezy Point Resort on a 40-degree day.
Many plungers were in costumes that ranged from Girl Scout cookies to brides and grooms to prom couples to Care Bears to moose. Winners of the costume contest held before the plunge were:
Best female - Bugs Haskin of Nay-Ah-Shing dressed as a peacock.
Best male - Bob Hannah of New Hope dressed as Gilligan from "Gilligan's Island."
Best group - Lollipops from Baxter.
Costume contest judges were area Special Olympians David Leek of Pequot Lakes; Mike Padgett, Bergen Hanson and Danny Meyer of Brainerd; and Amanda Murphy of Fifty Lakes.
Helping judge were Mike and Susan Bushard, Area 5 coordinators for Special Olympics, and Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl.
Levi Jillson, 4, Brainerd, with Team Crosslake, was the youngest plunger at age 4.
Oldest plungers recognized were Jane Rischmiller of Gaylord and Vic Schwich of Chaska, both 64; though during the plunge two 70-plus-year-olds jumped.
LeRoy Ailts of the State Patrol took the plunge five times in recognition of the fifth annual event in Breezy Point.
Five Wings Arts Council awards Community Arts Access grants
The Five Wings Arts Council recently reviewed Community Arts Access grant applications and awarded funding for the following arts events and activities in the five-county region of Cass, Crow Wing, Wadena, Morrison and Todd, among others:
Crossing Arts Alliance's art camp for children in June in Brainerd; From Age to Age, vocal concerts in Little Falls and Pequot Lakes in June; Grassroots Concerts, concert series through 2010 in Brainerd; Heartland Symphony for the Famous Composers concerts in Brainerd and Little Falls in April.
Lakes Area Chamber Music Festival for classical music performances in Brainerd in August; Legacy Chorale to produce choral concerts in Brainerd and Crosslake in April; Staples Area Men's Chorus to assist in sponsorship of the Big Sing Choral Festival April 17 in Staples; and Staples/Motley Area Arts Council for the Prairie Fire Theatre in Staples in June.
Community Arts Access grants of up to $5,000 are available to community groups and non-profit organizations to produce their own arts activities or to sponsor touring artists/activities. This provides the opportunity for arts access to every community in the region.
For more information and online application forms, visit the Five Wings Arts Council's new Web site at www.fwac.org.
Deadline for the next grant round is May 15.
