On Feb. 13, the temperature rose to around 40 degrees. This undesirable weather did not stop the brave souls who willingly jumped into the Monongahela River for charity. The community of California, Pennsylvania all came together one Saturday afternoon for a good cause called the Frosty Frolic. Registration was $10, which included a t-shirt and a hat. All money raised went to the California Foundation; this foundation’s money is used to give students scholarship money.

Jumpers could participate in teams or individually. When Tevin Gonzalez, a sophomore business major and a spectator of the event was asked about this occasion he responded, “I think being a new student and new to the area, it really showed a sense of community.”

   Other smaller events took place this afternoon including a costume contest and a best spirit contest. Winners received a small prize for their efforts. A young group of girls from the California area called themselves “The Village Trotters.” These young ladies were unforgettable due to their spunk and team spirit. The Village Trotters won the spirit award and later all jumped into the Mon simultaneously and were quick to get out of the freezing water. The winner of the individual costume contest was a young man dressed as the Joker. He received a prize basket for his participation. Another group of woman that stood out to the public eye were dressed in Disney villain costumes. The Disney villain group won the best group costume award and shortly after participated as a team of river jumpers. Jon Hershey, a sophomore business major and a jumper in the frosty frolic prepares for the jump by “wearing the least amount of clothes as possible, boxers and shorts will be ok.” He confirmed.

The River Rescue Group was present for this event. They were all volunteer firefighters that stayed in the water of the Coal Center dock throughout the whole event for safety reasons.

   Throughout the Frosty Frolic there were hot drinks given out and plenty of food to purchase.

When asked about this experience Monica Flickinger, a freshman creative writing major stated, “It’s really funny to watch these people jump into the Mon, but at the same time it’s really nice to see people are so committed to bettering their community.”  This year’s Frosty Frolic was a huge success and the public for sure looks forward to continuing the tradition next February in 2017.