WARSAW — Special Olympics Indiana’s 2026 Polar Plunge season continues Saturday, Feb. 21, in Warsaw, inviting area residents to Be Bold and Get Cold for a great cause.

Now in its 27th year, the Polar Plunge is a bucket-list fundraising event that
challenges individuals and teams to brave icy waters in support of more than 20,000
children and adults with intellectual disabilities across Indiana.

The 2026 Polar Plunge season runs through March 7, featuring 20 events statewide.
Last year, more than 3,000 Plungers raised $1 million to support Special Olympics
Indiana programs.

The Warsaw event at Center Lake begins at 10:30 a.m. with registration. A costume
contest and Opening Ceremony lead into the main event at noon. The day includes
awards for the top fundraiser, followed by a post-event celebration at the Zimmer
Biomet Center Lake Pavilion.

As Special Olympics Indiana’s signature fundraising series, participants must raise a
minimum of $125 to plunge. Those who meet the minimum earn a commemorative
Polar Plunge T-shirt, while higher fundraising levels unlock additional incentive prizes.

The Polar Plunge season also features the Super Plunger program, honoring the
bravest participants with the biggest hearts. Individuals who raise $4,000 or more
receive VIP treatment at the season-ending plunge at Eagle Creek Park in
Indianapolis.

All funds raised through Polar Plunge events help ensure children and adults with
intellectual disabilities can participate in Special Olympics Indiana’s sports, health,
education and leadership programs at no cost. Since its inception, the Polar Plunge
has raised more than $13 million statewide.

Featured partners of the 2026 Polar Plunge series include Coca-Cola Consolidated
and the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Indiana.

Additional top sponsors include Duke Energy, Steel Dynamics, Taft, Everwise, Fine Promotions, Chilly Goat, Precision Control Systems, Kinetico, Brew Broadcasting, the Indiana Knights of Columbus and Solid Platforms.

Individual events are also supported by local businesses and community organizations.

Other locations:

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WARSAW — A blast of arctic air has moved into northern Indiana and will remain beyond the weekend.

Schools across the region began cancelling classes on Thursday for Friday, and a polar plunge at Oakwood Resort on Saturday has been postponed for a week due to weather conditions.

For Friday, Kociusko County will see partly sunny skies and a high near 5. Wind chill values will be as low as -20. Winds will gust as high as 25 mph, according to the National Weather Service office in North Webster.

Lake effect snow is predicted for Friday north of Warsaw, but very little accumulation is expected in Kociusko County.

Tonight's low is expected to drop to around -5, with wind chill values reaching -15.

Warsaw will also be on the outer edge of a massive snowstorm that will affect nearly half of the contiguous United States, spanning some 22 states.

Two to five inches of snowfall are expected in Warsaw beginning Saturday night and continuing into Sunday.

Parts of southern Indiana are expected to receive significant snowfall beginning Saturday morning.

The upcoming forecast for Kosciusko County is below.

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SYRACUSE — An estimated 67 people and one dog participated in Saturday's Polar Plunge at Oakwood Resort in Syracuse Saturday.

The event was a fundraiser for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Kosciusko County. Air temperature was about 39 degrees when the event began.

Ice estimated to be about six inches thick had to be removed along the shore of Lake Wawasee for the plunge.

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NORTH MANCHESTER -- The 2023 Polar Plunge, for Special Olympics, took place at Manchester University on Saturday.

They had 86 people take the plunge, and raised over $18,000.

The Polar Plunge is the biggest fundraiser they have. Money raised helps fund events throughout the year. 

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