Parker hosting annual New Year’s Day polar plunge
Parker City in Armstrong County is ready to welcome hundreds of daring cold-weather swimmers for the annual Parker Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day.
The New Year’s tradition is the busiest day of the year for the small town, according to mayor Bud Amsler.
“It's a busy day for all the restaurants and bars in the city,” Amsler said.
Registrations commence on-site at 9 a.m. at the Parker City Boat Launch on North River Avenue, with the plunge taking place at 1 p.m. Registration costs Amsler estimates that in a typical year, between 250 and 300 people register to brave the cold temperatures and plunge into the frigid waters of the Allegheny River.
The organizers are prepared in case the arctic conditions in the river are too much for some of the participants.
“We have boats in the water; we have firemen in dry suits,” Amsler said.
The firemen surround the area where the divers go in so that nobody gets pulled away in the current.
Proceeds from the event directly benefit local emergency services departments, including the Parker Volunteer Fire Department and Emlenton EMS, as well as families in need.
“Part of the proceeds go to the fire departments that help us with the water rescue and the fire police,” Amsler said. “The rest of it goes towards families that have a difficult time. A disaster, sudden sickness, things like that.”
Other leftover funds are used for another major event in Parker, its Community Day, which is typically held each June.
