PHOTO BY DALTON SWEAT/WIMBERLEY VIEW City of Wimberley staff, including Parks Director Becca Manning and City Administrator Shawn Cox, jumped into Blue Hole together at the end of the race.
PHOTO BY DALTON SWEAT/WIMBERLEY VIEW Flipping into the New Year (into Blue Hole).
Blue Hole Polar Bear Plunge on New Years
The chilliest event of the year took place at Blue Hole Regional Park on January 1 as the craziest people in Wimberley lined up to jump into Blue Hole for the annual Polar Bear Plunge.
“It was freezing cold,” Richard Shaver, with the Wimberley Parks Department, said. “It wasn’t as cold as last year, but it was definitely still cold. The water was actually warmer than outside, but once you got out, you had to run up to the fire pit to get warm.”
The Polar Bear Plunge has become an annual event after the parks department saw individuals show up to the park on New Year’s Eve a few years ago to jump in the creek. This year, a 2k fun run was added to help warm everyone up to get ready for the plunge.
About 100 people participated in the fun run with about 200 family and friends on site to watch them jump in the creek, which stays about 68 degrees year round despite the 40-degree outside weather.
“It was a huge success,” Shaver said. “Everybody responded very well to the event. We hope that it becomes a tradition for the citizens of Wimberley.”
Shaver said the parks staff is considering adding a full 5k run next year.
The next event at Blue Hole will be a Star Party and campout on March 16 following a week of Spring Break Camp for kids. The campout will be opened to the public the night of the Star Party.