Dipping one’s toes in the water in the middle of winter has never been one
of my fave go-to’s for a New Year’s Resolution. Dipping one’s entire hind
quarters in has never made my list either, but you would be amazed at the
number of nutty people out there willing to take the plunge for a good time
as well as a good cause! Welcome to the Tybee Polar Plunge y’all!
By the time you are curled up with a Mimosa or a Bloody Mary in a nice,
warm towel, you will already have indulged (suffered) or enjoyed (screamed
out loud) through the nice bathtub temperatures (Ha) that the Atlantic Ocean
via Tybee has to offer on the first day of January! Are you exhilarated? I
hope so and a big “Thank You” for taking one for the team and supporting
the Tybee Post Theater!
2018 marks Tybee’s 19th year of the Tybee Polar Plunge. 19 years is
awesome and it all started with Don Ernst on a drunken dare to jump
in! Well, that dare was accepted and challenged. The next year more
friends joined him (around 12) and each year after that the numbers grew.
Originally the Polar Plunge happened on the north end of the island, until
the numbers became so large that it was decided to move it to the south
end by the Pier. Well, that move did it. Now thousands of people from all
over are taking the plunge.
Don donated all of the funds received to a variety of charities throughout
the years, until it was time for something new for him. Calling on Friends
of Tybee Theater, they took over in 2012 and have been doing great things
and continuing to improve upon this fun and invigorating charitable event
that has people from all over the world traveling to our bit of paradise to
participate and claim their T-shirt!
Each year makes progress towards getting bigger and better, but I have
to hand it to 2012 when the Tybee Post Theater won a GUINESS WORLD
RECORD for the largest gathering of people wearing swim caps with a
total of 2,049 people! That is epic! What a fun and great way to get people
together!
8 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | JAN 2018
The Tybee Post Theater has been a work in progress for a long time.
Originally built in the 1930’s, it was designed to be a movie house for
the soldiers at Fort Screven. In the 1960’s, the building fell into disrepair
and was mainly used by teenagers behaving badly (ah, the good old
days). It’s been in and out of pockets since then, but when the Friends
of Tybee took over in 2001, a real concerted effort was made to get this
shell of a shack back into working order and get it going for people on
Tybee. Well, the time is nigh and the Post Theater is rocking with the
help of a lot of people and charity events such as the Polar Plunge.
Now a true Performing Arts Center/Community Center, the Post Theater
offers so many fun and entertaining things to do year round: From live
music to plays, both children and adult, touring musicians, Family Feud
(Steve Harvey would be jealous), and movies from old screen to new.
I have to say my favorite times at the Post involve shows of movies
filmed on Tybee. You get to sit with your neighbors and family, friends
By Alaina Loughridge