LOUDON, Tenn. — Visit Loudon County and Monroe County Tourism jointly presents the annual East Tennessee Polar Plunge Event at noon Jan. 1, 2026, at the Vonore Recreational Boat Ramp located in Vonore, Tenn.

“Start 2026 with an unforgettable adventure while giving back to the community,” a recent press release from Blaina Best of the Monroe County Department of Tourism stated.

Check-in and day-of registration runs from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and this year’s event supports Keep Monroe County Beautiful — a non-profit dedicated to litter cleanup and environmental advocacy.

The cost to register the day of the event is $35 for adults and $25 for “kids” 17 and under … and all registrants will receive a commemorative long-sleeve Polar Plunge T-shirt, according to organizers.

Show off your creativity by entering the “RULER OF THE ICE COSTUME CONTEST.” The competition begins at 11:40 a.m. with winners crowned just before the plunge.

“Get ready to impress with your wackiest, funniest and most unique costumes,” organizers stated in a recent press release.

• Children aged 12 and under must wear life jackets

• Water shoes or sandals are recommended due to rocky areas; and

• Don’t forget to bring warm blankets, towels and a change of clothes.

‘THE QUACKERS’ … AND BEYOND

This local event dates back to at least 2019, when a group of Tellico Village residents welcomed the new year on Jan. 1 in “cold, unique fashion.”

Five members of The Quackers swim club gathered at Coyatee Shores and waded into the freezing waters of Tellico Lake. According to a story filed by a reporter from The Connection at the time, the event was a “test of courage and resiliency.”

Quackers member Debra London said, “We decided we were going to have our own polar plunge. We just put on our swimsuits — some had wetsuits on — and we just went in the water.

“We didn’t last very long,” London said. “That was our commitment that we would make it in the water, so we did.

“We just wanted to see if we could do it,” she added. “It was almost a New Year’s dare. … We almost chickened out, but we decided, ‘Nope, we’re going to do this.’”

The group was founded in 2001 when Connie Eichenauer and Karen Mathot decided to go on daily swims from their docks.

“We moved in 2001 next to each other, and we started going off the end of our dock,” Eichenauer said. “We swam and we had a little route that we had. We went down to the little cove, and then we went down to the main channel, touched the dock at the end and touched the dock at the other end.

“It took us about an hour, and we wore those little belts you used to use when you waterski. They held us up, and we could talk that way. Somebody was visiting, and they looked out and saw all these people. We had these little ducks that we put on our visors and they said, ‘They look like a bunch of quackers,’ so the name stuck.”

At the time, The Quackers was only open to women who lived in Coyatee Shores and there were 18 members from ages that ranged from the mid-50s to 80s.

“That’s what I think is so neat,” London said. “It’s a diverse group. … The other day, we had an 81-year-old in the water with us. As we get new neighbors, we invite them to be Quackers.

“It’s a neighborhood deal. We’ve got people from California, Michigan, South Carolina, Texas — you name it and we have it. We do well together.”

PROTECTING THE LAKES, PROMOTING THE COMMUNITY

In 2023, dozens of cold-water enthusiasts braved the depths of Tellico Lake on New Year’s Day to participate in the East Tennessee Polar Plunge. Those unafraid of the near frigid waters gathered at the Poplar Springs Boat Ramp about noon on that Sunday, and by then the air temperature was about 60 degrees.

The event was jointly sponsored by the Loudon County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau and the Monroe County Department of Tourism with all benefits going to the Watershed Association of the Tellico Reservoir — an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicated to protecting and improving the environment in the Tellico Reservoir Watershed.

At that point, the event had been held for about five years with a two-year break for the pandemic, said Blaina Best, director of tourism for Monroe County.

“This is our first time in Loudon County,” she said.

It was announced in 2023 that the two counties would take turns in the future hosting the event — with proceeds going to an organization in the county where the event was being held.

WATeR was chosen because it is in Loudon County and helps both the environment and tourism, according to Best.

Mandi Wolfe, associate director of membership and tourism for the Chamber, said the event was a great way to start the new year and promote the importance of the environment.

The partnership between the two counties is also a great way to emphasize both share equally in the benefits of the watershed and the responsibility for protecting it, Wolfe said.

“Visitors don’t see the county lines,” she said.

Wolfe said she was pleased with the turnout that year, noting there were participants registered from as far away as Tampa, Fla.

Rodney Grugin, executive director of the Chamber, said he sees the event as a great example of inter-county partnerships that benefit the region.

Mark Patterson and Polly Harrison traveled from Roane County. Patterson said he had never participated in such an event but wanted to show his support for protecting the lakes.

Local realtor Karen Millikan said her office sponsored the event to show support for protecting the lakeside environment so important to the region.

“It’s the lifestyle that we come here for,” she said.

Lily Beard, dressed as an elf, was awarded a walking stick and a certificate of participation for best costume. The award for the oldest participant, called the “Wisest Award,” went to Rita Curley, a 69-year-old Tellico Village resident who said she had never participated in a winter water plunge.

And Zachery Russ, 9, received the award for the youngest participant.

All participants gathered on the dock and counted down before jumping, mostly at the same time, into the water. As they waded back to land, swimmers had a variety of reactions.

“I always wanted to do it,” Patterson said. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be.”

But others didn’t agree.

City of Loudon Mayor Jeff Harris — a consistent participant in the annual event — was smiling as he walked out of the water. He said the 60-degree temperature made coming out of the water easier — but he said if temperatures had been as they were a week earlier, the entire situation might have been different.

THE JAN. 1, 2025 EVENT

More than 50 participants — made up of local residents as well as those who traveled from afar — took the annual Polar Plunge in Loudon County on Jan. 1, 2025.

And considerably more than that came out to cheer the divers on!

The oldest “plunger” was 79-year-old Bev Knobel of Tellico Village and the youngest participant was 5-year-old Brayden Byrum of Madisonville. He and his father, Terry, were also recognized for best costume.

“We would like to thank the 53 brave individuals who plunged into 2025 with us at the Poplar Springs Boat Ramp in Loudon, Tenn.,” Blair Sitzlar, the local director of Tourism and Marketing, shared in a statement to The Connection after the noon event held on Jan. 1.

“The event raised more than $1,500 for this year’s non-profit recipient — T-BART (Tellico Boaters Assistance Response Team). … This is such a fun way to begin the New Year,” she said.

At noon, the local weather was 43 degrees Fahrenheit (with a “feels like” temperature of 34 degrees due to win gusts of up to 16 mph).

Before the plungers plunged, Jeff Rauch of T-BART thanked the large crowd for coming out to the fund-raising event. T-BART was celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025, he said.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Darrell Richardson is the editor of The Connection and can be contacted at darrell.richardson@news-herald.net.