Road Trip

The Jacksonport Polar Bear Club is usually dormant from one New Years’ Day to the next, the one day a year when they go for an invigorating swim in Lake Michigan. But 45 Club members came out of hibernation on March 12, 2002 to provide an enthusiastic backdrop for the “Outdoor Frozen Premiere” of the new computer-animated movie Ice Age.

Road trip!
Road trip!

Hollywood star John Leguizamo, who voices the character “Sid the Sloth,” was the guest of honor at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.Leguizamo arrived via snowmobile for the last 75-foot leg of his journey to give photographers some photo opportunities.

The Polar Bears arrived at the Premiere by Lamer luxury bus, courtesy of the 20th Century Fox studio, who paid all expenses for transportation, food and hospitality from Sturgeon Bay to the Minneapolis area. The bus even had video screens for each seat, and passengers were treated to recordings of past swims.

Fox’s National Publicist Carol Cundiff, looking for ideas to promote the new movie, came upon the Polar Bears’ web site and thought the Club’s cold, outdoor philosophy would fit nicely with the new movie. The web site details the Club’s founding by J.R. Jarosh and boasts pictures from each of the years.

Join Us for the Swim!

Wednesday,January01,2025 •12:00PM

Lakeside Park • Jacksonport,WI

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