City of Connellsville issued the following announcement on Dec. 18.
The Connellsville Polar Bear Club Committee has made the difficult decision to cancel the New Year’s Day Polar Bear Jump into the Youghiogheny River that was scheduled to take place on January 1, 2021. The recent spike in COVID 19 cases in Fayette County and surrounding communities as well as not seeing any end to this pandemic in the immediate future led to this decision. The committee unanimously felt that to conduct such a large event would not only be in violation of current Pennsylvania mandates but also an egregious mistake that could affect the health of many people. Although unfortunate, we believe it is the most responsible action.
In past years, our Polar Bear Jump has been responsible for restocking the food pantry of Connellsville Community Ministries after the holidays when their supplies are lowest. Because of this cancellation, Community Ministries will unfortunately start the year with a greatly depleted supply of food for those in need. In lieu of jumping in the river, we ask that food or monetary donations be made to Connellsville Community Ministries to help them avoid a crisis.
We thank you all for your understanding and cooperation and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to seeing you on New Year’s Day 2022 to continue this wonderful community tradition.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up