The Polar Plunge at Easton’s Beach

Photograph by Justin L. Walker

Every year on new year’s day, thousands descend on Easton’s (First) Beach in Newport for the annual Polar Plunge. The event started humbly enough, when a group of locals known as the Polar Bears began plunging for fun. “There’s rumors that this started back in the ’20s, that a bunch of guys would go down to Easton’s Beach and jump in every Sunday,” says Bryan Ganley of Bristol, who joined the tradition in 1982. In 2003, the Polar Bears joined forces with wish-granting organization A Wish Come True to raise funds for children with life-threatening illnesses. This year’s wish kids are four-year-old Indy and nine-year-old Lars, who will both enjoy vacations in Florida with their families thanks to the event. “Last year we had 6,000 people on the beach,” says Mary-Kate O’Leary, A Wish Come True’s executive director. So what keeps them going in, year after year? “We suffer for a few minutes. Sometimes we even go in twice. But these wish kids, they deal with this every single day,” Ganley says. awish.org