Mat-Su Plunge is this weekend

WASILLA — If cabin fever drives you to dress up like Ms. Pac-Man and jump into a near-freezing lake, at least this weekend there may be a nice warm hot tub for you afterward.

The 11th Annual Mat-Su Plunge begins at 10 a.m., Saturday on the north shore of Wasilla Lake with an opening ceremony and honorarium, according to Sandra Kaplan, the president of the Mat-Su Sertoma Club. This year the hot tub will be provided courtesy of Arctic Home Living.

Costumery is a traditional part of the plunge, which characters present ranging from Dr. Seuss’ Thing One and Thing Two to Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, and the Big Bad Wolf.

“It’s an Alaskan thing to do, a way of showing you’re no longer cheechako, but you’ve become a sourdough,” she said.

“Cheechako” is Alaska slang for a greenhorn, and “sourdough” refers to a person who’s survived at least one winter here.

Apart from shivering literary figments, the plunge serves a charitable purpose as well, raising between $20,000 and $30,000 annually for community organizations, including this year’s beneficiaries, homeless youth group MY House and Mat-Su Senior Services.

“We’re not caught up with Anchorage yet,” Kaplan joked.

The Anchorage edition of the plunge brings hundreds of plungers to the Anchorage area each winter to jump in local lakes. Trophies are typically awarded to the jumpers with the most pledges, as well as those wearing the best costumes, Kaplan said.

While the event is frosty, it’s also warm at heart, Kaplan said.

“Everyone is doing it for a good reason,” she said. “When you watch the video, nobody hesitates. Everybody is very excited.”

About 100 people have registered for the 2015 Mat-Su Polar Plunge, and dozens of companies (including the Frontiersman) have sponsored the event.

The Sertoma Club is the second-oldest service organization in the United States, according to the Sertoma website. The name is an abbreviation for “Service to Mankind.”

To sign up to take the plunge, or to watch videos from past years, visit bit.ly/KnFS6P.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269 or brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com or on Twitter @reporterbriano.