Ring in 2018 with a charitable (and freezing) start. The 28th annual Lake Minnetonka Ice Dive is on New Year’s Day. Organized by fitness club ALARC, the event benefits disabled and wounded veterans. Participants dive in order of experience and are assigned rankings based on how many years they have participated. First-timers are called “guppies,” and then there are the “orcas”: divers on their 20th year of participating (or more). “The rankings are what draw people to come back; it makes it more fun,” says event director Harley Feldman. All divers are encouraged to dress in their silliest costume, and two $50 gift cards will be awarded to the best costumes. After diving, you are invited to downtown Excelsior’s Dunn Brothers for a coffee, hot chocolate and a breakfast burrito.
Lake Minnetonka Ice Dive
January 1, 8:30 a.m., 400 Lake St., Excelsior; $25
