It was a happy and very refreshing new year for the 203 people that participated in the 26th annual Polar Plunge at Oakland Beach in Rye Town Park on Thursday, January 1, 2026. This year brought 203 “plungers” with 50 of the participants signing up in the last hour before the icy encounter with the Long Island Sound. The event raised $3,000 for Soul Ryeders, and $3,000 for Meals on Main Street.
“This event is all about starting the year with purpose—by challenging yourself, supporting neighbors in need, and having a lot of fun in the process,” said Ken Harris, co-president of Rye Tri Club, the group that organizes the “freezing for a reason” event. “Every brave ‘plunger’ helps us raise critical funds for organizations doing life-changing work right here in our community.”
Thank you Jay for your service to Rye and its families. The Rye Beach ceremony was an opportunity to exchange views on landscape (land and sea) protection, and to honor Rye’s lovely environment of sea, beach, lawn and forest. Happy New Year to you, your team and the families of both. I will send you some thoughts on ocean protection and fighting global warming. Bertrand de Frondeville, 19 Hook Road, Rye NY 10580, bertrand@defrondeville.com