Community Corner
Penguin Plunge to Benefit Special Olympics
About 150 people took a dip in Crystal Lake in Ellington Saturday to raise money for the Special Olympics.
It's an annual tradition, or at least it has been for the past four years. Dozens gather at the beach on Crystal Lake already shivering and then run screaming and laughing into the frigid water.
Why? For a good cause.
The 4th Annual Ellington Penguin Plunge, a major fundraiser for the Special Olympics of Connecticut, drew people from throughout the region Saturday to the lake Saturday afternoon to socialize, lay down some dares and then run as fast as they could along the muddy beach and into the icy water.
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Marc Mercandante, the eastern regional director for the organization, said he expected from 150 to 175 "very brave souls" to take the plunge. The goal was to raise $30,000 for the organization.
Despite the warmer temperatures on Saturday, before anyone could get into the lake the ice had to be chipped and pushed to the side to make the water accessible. This didn't seem to deter the groups dressed in pajamas, as penguins and as pirates as they anxiously awaited for the start.
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After emerging from the lake, many said it was cold - colder than it looked - but most if not all agreed that they'd do it again.
