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Kootenay Co-op Radio saves the Polar Bear Swim

Annual event will go ahead with support from local station.
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Celeste Moola clutched her father Shiraz for warmth while hundreds of Nelsonites braved the frigid temperatures of Kootenay Lake during the 2016 Polar Bear swim

It’s back on.

The Nelson Polar Bear Swim, which was cancelled earlier this week, has been picked up by Kootenay Co-op Radio (KCR) and will go ahead on New Year’s Day.

“It’s a fun, wacky, crazy event that should definitely continue,” KCR outreach co-ordinator Stephanie Myers told the Star.

“We’re encouraging people to dress up, wear wacky wigs and fun costumes. We’re going to have chili and hot chocolate by donation, and we’re going to bring music.”

That music will invoke warmer climates.

“One of our programmers does a Hawaiian show, so we thought we’d bring down some warm weather music so everyone can pretend they’re somewhere sunny.”

She thinks the Nelson community needs this.

“We can all agree that 2016 was not the most stellar year. It was sad and scary. So let’s get wild and wacky now that we’re seeing the back-end of it, and let’s celebrate the coming in of 2017 by celebrating that we’re alive, taking off our clothes and jumping into Kootenay Lake.”

The event will begin with music at 11:30, with the plunge at noon.