By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Sea Isle City has scrapped plans to hold the Polar Bear Plunge at 11 a.m. following complaints that a morning start time was simply too early. Now, the wildly popular madcap dip in the chilly ocean will get underway at noon.
Traditionally, the plungers charge into the waves at 2 p.m., but the city had proposed starting the event three hours earlier in 2020 to help with crowd control during a weekend of partying that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the beach town in February.
However, the city announced Tuesday that it has ditched the 11 a.m. start time on Saturday, Feb. 15. Instead, it will hold the event at noon in a compromise with the organizers of plunge-related festivities, City Business Administrator George Savastano said.
“Some of the organizers involved with the related events, such as the pre-plunge contests, expressed concerns that there wasn’t sufficient time for those activities,” Savastano said in a text message.
“The city agreed to compromise by going to 12 p.m., which still achieves our objective of better crowd control and public safety – by getting people in and out of the ocean two hours earlier than in the past,” he added.
The Polar Bear Plunge serves as the centerpiece of a weekend-long celebration of partying, dining and shopping that awakens the shore town from its winter hibernation and reinvigorates the local economy. In 2020, Polar Bear weekend will be held Feb. 14-16.
Many of Sea Isle’s businesses, normally closed for the winter, reopen just for the celebration. The timing of the Polar Bear Plunge over the Presidents Day weekend every year allows the town to capitalize on the extended holiday weekend.
Entering its 26th year, the plunge has grown into a hugely popular spectacle and a blockbuster for the local economy. Yet the throngs of plungers and partiers have prompted concerns among Sea Isle officials about crowd control.
A decision was made by the city to shift the event from the traditional start time of 2 p.m. to 11 a.m. to heighten crowd control. After further discussion, the noontime compromise was reached.
One local restaurant owner appeared during the City Council meeting on Tuesday to complain that the plunge’s earlier start time would hurt Sea Isle’s business community.
“I really feel that the time change is going to affect a lot of small businesses in town,” Deborah Pinter, owner of Rick’s Breakfast House, told members of the governing body.
In her remarks, Pinter spoke about her concerns for having an 11 a.m. start time. Savastano responded to Pinter by announcing that the plunge would be held at noon instead.
“It’s still going to hurt businesses by having it at 12,” Pinter said afterward in an interview. “The event has been held at 2 o’clock since the onset. It should stay at that time.”
Pinter said the plunge usually attracts large family groups that spend the entire day in Sea Isle and spread out through the entire town, patronizing local businesses in the process.
She is worried that the earlier start time will reduce the plunge’s turnout. She also fears that the crowds will not venture out to other parts of town, including the Acme shopping plaza on 62nd Street, where Rick’s Breakfast House and other local businesses are located.
The plunge is held downtown on the beaches between 38th and 40th streets. Pinter predicted the crowds will stay in the downtown area now because of the earlier start time.
However, city officials said by starting things earlier, it will give visitors more time to enjoy the post-plunge festivities throughout town.
“I think it’s easy to say that there will be a big turnout for all of the plunge events, no matter what time they’re held,” city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said.
Custer explained that the crowds actually start to build on the Thursday before Presidents Day weekend because many visitors traditionally arrive early for the holiday weekend festivities.
The weekend culminates with the Polar Bear Run-Walk for Autism created by restaurateur Mike Monichetti and his family. Monichetti owns Mike’s Seafood & Dock Restaurant in Sea Isle.
The run-walk raises money each year for autism awareness, advocacy and family services. In 2020, it will be held Sunday, Feb. 16, at noon, the event’s normal time.
