STANSBURY PARK, Utah — Divers and daredevils jump into Stansbury Lake's frigid waters in what has been the park's annual tradition for 15 years.
Local Emelee Johns, along with the rest of the community, arrived at Stansbury Lake in her Buccee's jumpsuit to watch who she calls "the crazies".
"She’s going to actually plunge in the ice-cold water," said Johns.
Johns referred to her daughter, Savannah, and dozens of others who come every year for the Stansbury Ice Breaker Plunge at noon on New Year's Day.
Joining the festivities is hot chocolate, music, the North Tooele Fire Department and anyone crazy enough to take the plunge.
“All you think is you want to get out and you don’t want to do it ever again, but you come back because you're crazy, you love it," said Savannah.
According to the event founder Darin Arnell, the Stansbury Ice Breaker Plunge has been an annual tradition for the community since it began 15 years ago.
“My wife dared me, when we lived in Chicago, to jump into Lake Michigan on New Year's Day and I couldn’t find anyone else that I could convince to come and jump in with me," said Arnell. "We wanted this to grow into something cool, and every year in the beginning we were trying to recruit people and really advertise and market to get people here and donating and now it’s just something the community has taken on."
Participants were asked to bring non-perishable food items, lightly used clothing or monetary donations for the Tooele Community Resources Center.
“The cause, the Tooele Resource Center, is great because as you know life is hard and I'm glad that the Stansbury Park community comes together for it," Johns said.
