14th Annual Polar Bear Plunge Kicks Off the New Year January 1

Start 2026 with a splash — and a cause worth shivering for.

Phoenix Elks Lodge #335 presents the 14th Annual Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2026, poolside at the Lodge. The lounge opens at 9:30 a.m., food starts at 11:30 a.m., festivities start at 1:00 p.m., and it all finishes “when all are frozen.”

Proceeds benefit Arizona Elks Major Projects, supporting the Steele Children’s Research Center in Tucson, the Steele Translational Medical Clinic in Phoenix, and the Jack C. Warter Jr. Arizona Elks Youth Camp. As the flyer puts it: AEMP is the Reason for Freezin’.

Spectator donations are $20 pre-sale or $25 the day of the event, which includes food, festivities, and door prizes. Kids 16 and under are $5 on the day of the event. Plungers need a minimum of $50 in pledges to jump — which includes food, festivities, a T-shirt, and door prizes — and jumpers do not need a ticket.

Esteemed Leading Knight Clint Tompkins hopes to see a large group on hand — and promises members will see him “jump into the icy depths of our pool as the Polar Plunging Gorilla.” Come participate and start the year off with a cold plunge to wake up your soul.

For more information, contact Larry Bodwell at 602-989-5896.

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Originally published in the January 2026 Tracks newsletter of Phoenix Elks Lodge #335. Read the full issue (PDF).

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