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"Polar Plunge" Site Moved

FUND for Lake George

An invasive species has forced an annual event to a new location - more from WAMC's Dave Lucas

For years, upwards of 1500 people have flocked to Shepard Park Beach each New Year's Day for the "Polar Plunge" but the Saratogian reports that, this year, an infestation of Asian Clams has necessitated a change-of-venue - swimmers will hit the icy waters of Lake George's Million Dollar Beach at 1pm Tueday.

The newspaper says the Polar Plunge was started in the early 1970s by Charles “Papa Bear” Albert --- it has grown to become one of the Northeast’s largest New Year’s Day coldwater swims.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.