Every Superbowl Sunday, the entire town of Long Beach, New York (and surrounding towns as well) head over to the beach on Riverside Drive and line up to get their sweatshirts. That’s a must in this town. Everyone has the new $40 Polar Bear sweatshirt.
And the funny thing is, you will see people wearing them all year round!
The money goes to a great cause — the Make A Wish Foundation. Thousands of dollars are raised every year for this cause and every year tens of thousands of people line the beach and when the whistle goes off, they take off their clothes and plunge into the freezing cold water.
Luckily today was above freezing. The water temperature was between 35 – 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
My son, like everyone else in this town, makes a yearly tradition out of it. This is his third year jumping in the Atlantic ocean. (Sorry guys, I just can’t get myself to do it.) But this year, we came prepared with two towels and extra socks! (Last year was a disaster. I only had a little towel and when he came out, his lips were blue. This year went much better than that!)
So while most people are preparing for their parties for Superbowl Sunday, the people of Long Beach are focusing on taking that plunge to help the sick children make their last wish come true.
