67 plunge into icy Lake Arthur
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.
“It's just something crazy different, I guess,” said Annie Miller, president of the Lawrence County's Habitat board of directors. “There isn't really another plunge in this area.”
This year, plungers raised about $17,500, according to Miller who didn't jump in this year, but has before. Still, she couldn't really put into words why someone would want to plunge into freezing cold water.
“It's just something crazy to do in the middle of winter, but I don't really know,” she said. “I don't know what makes people want to do it.”
The team putting on the plunge arrived more than two hours before anyone tested the water. They set up warming tents, a roaring fire, music, barbecue and safety systems.
Chad Weatherby, a project manager for Habitat, said they would be raising money for three houses in the New Castle area.
“The goal is that we will have three new homeowners in those houses by this time next year,” he said.
Weatherby fetched a tape measure from his truck to measure how thick the lake 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 entered the water in teams of about four or five. They waded out toward members of Butler County Water Rescue Team 300, who were positioned in the water wearing wet suits and several warm layers.
Mark Adomaitis, the team's chief, said they were there just to make sure participants got in and out of the water quickly and safely.
“If they need help getting out of the water, we're there to escort them out,” Adomaitis said.Looking out at the frozen lake, he remarked that the day's conditions made it unsafe to be out on the ice, as the sheet had weakened substantially over the past week and sunlight was sure to break it down more Saturday despite cold air temperatures.“You can look at the ice and see that it is rotten,” Adomaitis said.Catherine Blandi, event chairman, said her team was leaning heavily on Butler County groups like the rescue team.“So many of the support teams are from Butler,” Blandi said. “The dive team is amazing.”Also on scene were Portersville Volunteer EMS, which brought an ambulance, and a New Castle Amateur Radio Emergency Services group.Speed is the best strategy for an apprehensive plunger, according to Tim King.King, who hit the cold water for the third year Saturday, said the plunge is a “bucket list kind of thing.”“It's always nice going out for a swim in February,” he said. “Just go as quickly as you can.”A team of about 10 divers from the VFW Post 315 in New Castle ran into the lake together. They all wore matching shark hats.“We've been penguins before, and we've been valentines,” said Gail Newtziu, a group member. “This year we wanted to be sharks.”The year's oldest plunger was 85-year-old Duane Harms. The crowd sang happy birthday for Harms as he dove into the lake.Tom Walker, an 84-year-old who has participated eight times, said he gave his elder a hard time for beating him out age-wise.“I told him if he just stuck his toe in I would push him in,” Walker said.The water, Walker swore, was delightfully warm.
