Who's up for it next year?

A funny thing happens in downtown Skaneateles at the end of January every year; everyone goes slightly mad. How mad  must that be, I hear you ask, we've seen what they pull out of the bag at Christmas time with their 'Dickens-ing' about in costume and singing all over the place. Now what? Well, Winterfest, in a word. And it is fabulous. A day of beer tasting, wine tasting, chili tasting, clam chowder tasting (get the picture?) with a smattering of ice sculptures thrown in along the way and this year, a dude sculpting wood WITH A CHAINSAW. Very noisy and dusty but very impressive.

  

There was a Husky Dog demonstration, I believe; presumably they had to leave their snow tyres at home as there isn't any, not a flake. And then at 12.30 precisely, the madness happens, in all it's teeth chattering wonder.

PEOPLE GO AND JUMP IN THE LAKE.

Oh yes they do! Willingly. In swimmers. In January.

Of course, I say jump, this year they had to run as the lake isn't actually frozen at the moment but is still tending towards the slightly chillier end of warm. (Last year they had to cut a hole in the ice first, very impressive). so the brave, warm hearted and downright daft members of the village plunge into the near freezing depths of Skaneateles lake and people give them money to do it. Again, not quite true; the money is being raised for worthy causes like SAVES and The Skaneateles Volunteer Fire Department so no-one really minds putting their hands in their pockets. It's persuading them to take them out again in these sub-zero temperatures that is the tricky thing. And boy was it cold down in the park on Saturday. Near freezing is one thing but a wind chill factor of about 20 degrees F below is something else entirely. And then jumping in a lake?

So, come on - who's with me? End of January 2013 - Freezin' for a Reason - you know you want to!

 

 

Jumping in the lake for the required 10 seconds is one thing, but spare a thought for these guys who stayed in for the duration. Hot chocolate's on the house!