By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

PELHAM – The temperature dips in the month of January, but the cold won’t keep several from taking a dip into the cold lake water at Oak Mountain State Park for the annual Polar Plunge event.

The Polar Plunge, which will celebrate its 10-year anniversary this January, is hosted by the Pelham Police Department and helps support the Special Olympics of Alabama.

The 10th annual Polar Plunge will take place Saturday, Jan. 18, at 9 a.m. at Oak Mountain State Park.

The money raised by the Polar Plunge will help support more than 15,000 athletes for the Special Olympics of Alabama to provide year-round sports training and athletic competitions in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. A large part of the funding needed to operate these programs comes from events held by the Alabama law enforcement community. The Polar Plunge kicks off fundraising efforts for the law enforcement community.

In years past, the event has raised thousands of dollars for the organization and registration is open now.

Advance registration for the Polar Plunge costs $35 and includes a T-shirt. Registration on the day of the event is $45 and includes a t-shirt but a T-shirt size may not be guaranteed. In addition, a costume contest will be held for those registered to take the plunge. The entry fee for the costume contest is $5.

On the day of the plunge, check-in and registration will begin at 9 a.m. and the costume contest starts at 10 a.m. The plunge will follow shortly after at about 10:15 a.m. Past costumes have included pirates, Sesame Street characters, Great Gatsby characters, the crew from MASH and Pelham Police Chief Larry Palmer dressed up as Dr. Seuss. The winner of the costume contest will have a chance to win bragging rights and cool prizes.

This year’s event will include a 2.9 percent processing fee added to each ticket, which is less than what has been collected in the past to ensure a full donation goes to the Special Olympics of Alabama.

For more information and to register for the Polar Plunge, visit Pelhampd.com/event-details/pelham-polar-plunge.

Oak Mountain State Park is located at 200 Terrace Drive in Pelham.