[March 18, 2013]    

Sunday afternoon the St. Patty color of the day was not necessarily green, as dozens of Polar Plungers donned orange T-shirts and sweatshirts at the pre-party before the plunge.

All the plungers were to check in at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Lincoln. Then they rode buses to Lincoln Lakes, where the plunge took place at 2 p.m.

The day at the beach began with the singing of the national anthem by Lesleigh Bennett, then the reciting of the plungers' creed. Then it was every man, woman and child for themselves as they braved the chilly water for a good cause.

Not to worry, though. There were plenty of folks on hand to give a hand if someone needed help. The Lincoln Rural dive team suited up and took to the water, where they remained for the entire event.

Pictures by Derek Hurley and Jan Youngquist