Members of the Butler County Water Rescue Team 300 watched over participants in Saturday's Douse for a House event at Lake Arthur. The event drew 67 people who plunged into the icy waters at Moraine State Park in Muddy Creek Township.

MUDDY CREEK TWP — A group cut a hole through Lake Arthur's icy surface with chainsaws Saturday morning, then 67 people came along and hopped in.

The ninth annual Douse for a House saw dozens of fundraising volunteers submerge themselves in the frigid waters at Moraine State Park. The event is an annual inter-county cooperation where Butler County's state park and residents help raise money for the neighboring Lawrence County's Habitat for Humanity.

Chad Weatherby, a Habitat project manager, fetched a tape measure from his truck to measure how thick the lake's ice was Saturday morning. Park employees confirmed that last Monday morning eight inches of ice covered Lake Arthur. On Saturday, about five-and-a-half inches remained.

Plungers waded out toward members of Butler County Water Rescue Team 300, who were positioned out in the water wearing wet suits and several warm layers to assist people out of the water.

“It's just something crazy different, I guess,” said Annie Miller, Habitat board president. Miller didn't plunge this year, but she has before. Still, she couldn't really put into words why someone would want to jump into freezing cold water.

“There isn't really another plunge in this area. It's just something crazy to do in the middle of winter, but I don't really know. I don't know what makes people want to do it.”

Read more in the Butler Eagle

On Saturday, about five-and-a-half inches of ice had to be cut with chainsaws to let people plunge into Lake Arthur for the ninth annual Douse for a House event at Moraine State Park, Muddy Creek Township. Assisting at the event were the Butler County Water Rescue Team 300 and Portersville Volunteer EMS.