ALEXANDRIA — Jumping into the freezing waters of Lake L'Homme Dieu isn't something people may want to do every day, but on Saturday, Feb. 25 200 people did it for a very good cause – Special Olympics Minnesota.
The annual Alexandria Polar Plunge, which took place in front of Lure Lakebar and Zorbaz on Feb. 25, 2023, had raised nearly $68,000 as of Monday morning, said one of the event organizers, Keith Melrose.
Melrose, a sergeant with the Alexandria Police Department, said the day went really well and that the new location, which is actually the original location, worked great. He said with the smaller area and with help from law enforcement students, the setup went smooth and quickly.
"I talked to the managers of both restaurants and they said the event went really well for them," said Melrose. However, he did say that the parking lots filled up quickly and that for next year's event, he will be looking into shuttling participants from another location.
He also noted that because the depth of the lake where the plunge was going to take place was about 25 feet, a cage was built and set in the water to help keep the plungers safe. The cage was built and donated by Alexandria Industries.
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"It worked amazing," said Melrose, noting how appreciative he was of Alexandria Industries' donation of the cage to the plunge. "It really helped."
Although the plunge is done for this year, Melrose said donations are still being accepted and that people can donate up until the end of the plunging season. Donations can be made on the Alexandria Polar Plunge website, plungemn.org/events/alexandria.
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