PLEASANT POINT, Maine — More than 100 otherwise sensible people ran into the Atlantic Ocean on Friday afternoon, braving air temperatures that hovered around 32 degrees in a ferocious wind to raise $10,155 for the Bangor Ronald McDonald House.
This was the 10th year of the Polar Dip, sponsored by Washington County Community College and held on Pessikapskiyak Road at Pleasant Point Pier.
The methods of entry were diverse.
There was the “dip a toe in and run back up the beach” approach.
There was the “crash headlong into the surf and stumble madly back out” method.
And a few people tried gentle dives and casual walking, as if to prove their toughness.
Party hats, balloons and goose bumps were worn by many in celebration of the event’s 10th anniversary.
“I can’t feel my legs,” Jennifer Alley of Calais said after dipping. It was her first time, and she laughed through the whole experience.
One of the youngest dippers was Kaitlyn Stafford, 10, of Palmyra.
“I wanted to help the people who need to be close to their children in the hospital,” she said. “I wasn’t nervous. I was excited.”
Even among the nondippers there was a bit of competition. County commissioner Chairman Chris Gardner challenged state Sen. Kevin Raye, R-Perry, to a dip in 2011.
“I’ll go in if you will,” Gardner offered. Raye declined with a hearty laugh.
Tess Ftorek of Eastport started the event 10 years ago at the suggestion of a hiking club that she guided while an instructor at WCCC.
“The first year we raised $1,600 and it was held at Gleason’s Cove,” she said. “It has really taken off and created such a sense of community between the college and the Passamaquoddy reservation.”
This year’s dip was dedicated to the memory of Wayne and Lorraine Rice of Perry, who died last month as the result of a traffic accident. The Rices had been volunteers at the annual dip.
Dina Casey traveled to Pleasant Point from Bangor, where she serves as assistant house manager at the Ronald McDonald House.
“There is so much energy here,” she said. “This is my fourth year coming here, and three years ago I actually dipped.”
Robert Stackhouse, a town councilor in Pittsfield, drove 3½ hours to take the cold plunge.
“It’s my third time here,” he said, “my sixth time overall, counting other locations.”
Stackhouse said he was unable to describe the euphoric feeling he gets when dipping.
“It’s not just that I did something good for someone else, which obviously makes me feel good. It goes beyond that. It is just such a great feeling,” he said.
Brandon Palmer, 19, of Bridgton said he was able to pay back a kindness shown to his family. Palmer is president of the student senate at WCCC.
“When I was younger, 10 to 20 years ago, my sister had kidney problems and my family had to stay at a Ronald McDonald house in Portland. This is my chance to give back.”
Palmer wore a wetsuit to provide safety for the dip and once the crowd dispersed, took off the suit and entered the water alone.
“Not too bad,” he said up on the beach.
Dippers and spectators were treated to a taste testing offered by culinary arts students at WCCC. Five appetizers were offered: Tandoori chicken tartlets, broccoli quiche, Down East seafood Alfredo basket, cheesy egg and ham bites, and Maine potato samosas.
Instructor chef Marie Emerson said one of the recipes would be WCCC’s entry into the Three-A-Day-Dairy competition held later in March at the Blaine House in Augusta.