by Zoe Hanrahan

While taking a plunge into icy cold waters is not everyone’s ideal way to start a new year, every year on the first day of January, a small group of people choose to do just that in the frigid waters of Lake Anna.

A Polar Bear Club is an organization where individuals take a dip in freezing water – sometimes simply for fun – but more commonly to raise money for a charity of their choice. There are many Polar Bear Clubs across the United States, and one such club calls a neighborhood beside Lake Anna home.

The Bien Venue Plantation is self-described as “a welcoming community situated on 250 acres of open landscape, rolling hills, and densely wooded tracts.” However, their website does not advertise that the community serves as the home of the Bien Venue Plantation Polar Bear Club.

The club was founded 19 years ago by Ruthie Haden, who continues to be an active member. While the Polar Bear Club did not originally raise money for a charity, after its initial years, the participants decided to fundraise for a cause during their annual dip. In the end, the original members selected to help support the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office’s (LCSO) K-9 unit.

While there were many charities they could have picked to fundraise for, the members primarily chose this cause for two reasons.

In December of 2011, around the time the Polar Bear Club was looking for a cause to support, Maggie – a bloodhound who served as Lieutenant Patrick Sheridan’s K-9 – died in the line of duty. Together, Maggie and Lieutenant Sheridan helped solve several crimes and assisted with missing person cases. Their work also resulted in the lieutenant winning the Meritorious Service Award from The American Bloodhound Club in 2012.

Due to the loss of Maggie, Sheridan – who helps train bloodhounds for agencies across the globe – needed funds to purchase and train another rescue dog. The money was not easy for him to raise because, as Haden said about K-9 bloodhounds, “they are expensive, and I think the K-9 unit is supported all through contributions.”

Indeed, the LCSO’s website has a page dedicated to receiving donations for the K-9 unit and states the division is “largely funded by fundraising events held by the handlers and by donations that are graciously given by the public.” The money raised goes into not only purchasing and training new canines, which cost thousands of dollars, but also towards purchasing equipment, buying food, and covering the veterinary costs of the dogs.

Aside from the loss of Maggie and the K-9 unit’s need for funds, Haden cited the community’s love of canines as the second reason for choosing to support the LCSO’s K-9 unit.

“Everyone in this development, except me, has a dog,” said Haden. “We are a dog-friendly community, so we decided that was our purpose.”

After deciding to fundraise for the K-9 unit, Haden reached out to the LCSO about the Polar Bear Club’s plan. Sheridan, who currently serves as a K9 officer and patrol lieutenant for the sheriff’s office, visited with the Polar Bear Club’s members to share information about Maggie’s service and her vital role within the department. Since then, the club’s goal for more than the past decade has been to raise funds for the unit.

While Haden does put up signs advertising the Polar Bear Club’s annual plunge at both entrances to the Bien Venue Plantation, she states that news of the plunge is generally spread by word of mouth. She explained that community residents and their friends primarily attend the plunge, but people from outside the neighborhood are welcome to join.

Annually, the New Year’s Day event draws around twenty participants of varying ages, consisting primarily of friends and relatives of Bien Venue Plantation property owners. Those who choose to partake in the frigid dip in Lake Anna’s waters sometimes travel from as far away as West Virginia or North Carolina.

Prior to the plunge, this group gathers beside the lake to pose for a group photo.

There are requirements for the dive to be deemed valid. “You have to get wet up to your shoulders, but we aren’t too strict on that. But if someone comes in and gets their toes wet, that doesn’t count,” said Haden. While encouraged to venture out into the lake up to their shoulders, participants are not allowed to venture any deeper than that due to potential safety risks.

“More people say they are jumping, but when the time comes, sometimes they don’t show up,” said Haden. “That’s ok. We still have plenty of die-hards!”

Haden also explained that, outside of those who are daring enough to enter the lake, another twenty or so people also come to simply watch the event and support the participants.

Sometimes, the day of the plunge can be extremely cold, leading to the Polar Bear Club’s members having to break the ice to enter the lake. This normally doesn’t hinder the festivities and has only posed a problem once since the club’s founding.

“There was one year that we were all down there at the boat ramp and were all in our suits, but we didn’t get in because we couldn’t break the ice,” Haden recalled. “But they got credit for it anyways, cause they showed up and they were ready to go. We just couldn’t get in.”

Following the plunge, there is usually a fruit cake toss – a competition where contestants attempt to throw fruitcakes the furthest – and a bonfire.

The club only holds the last two events if the weather permits. “If it’s too cold and people don’t want to do it, we don’t mess with it,” Haden explained regarding the fruit cake toss. “And the same if it’s windy; we don’t have a bonfire.”

Finally, an auction is held at Tim’s at Lake Anna. Attendees are served chili or crab soup and a drink such as hot chocolate. Members are also encouraged to bring and share other potluck items. The auction consists of items donated by established businesses around the lake, and newer businesses have the opportunity to advertise their services.

“The real contribution comes at the time of auction,” said Haden, explaining how the Polar Bear Club raises its funds. “It varies, but we raise about a 1,000 dollars. We never touch the money. Lieutenant Sheridan is there. It goes directly to him, and he writes thank you notes to everybody who contributed.”

Lieutenant Sheridan, who attends with his current K-9 companion, also gives an update on the bloodhound’s work for the LCSO over the past year. His current companion is Ally, who began her service in May 2019 and is the fourth bloodhound the lieutenant has trained to serve alongside him.

During the auction, those who were brave enough to face the freezing water are awarded a sweatshirt with the community logo and the year monogrammed on either the sleeve or chest. Everyone who completed the plunge, whether it was their first time or not, is given a certificate commemorating their efforts.

The events of the day not only provide the opportunity to raise funds for the K-9 unit, but also provide a chance for everyone to come together and socialize. For Haden, this is her favorite part about being a member of the Bien Venue Plantation Polar Bear Club.

Outside of taking a dip into Lake Anna for the annual fundraiser, the Polar Bear Club’s members participate in a few other events just for fun throughout the year.

In March 2024, close to St Patrick’s Day, the Polar Bear Club hosted a day of Irish road bowling. Haden said that Irish road bowling is “an old Civil War game played with canon bowls by Irish soldiers during the Civil War.”

The club held the event near the old plantation house on Palomino Drive, and afterward, participants enjoyed a meal of traditional Irish stew and other dishes.

They also once held an event for those who were too nervous to enter the freezing water in January. “One year, we had a chicken plunge,” Haden recalled. “That was because of all the chickens who didn’t do it on January first. It was in the summer.”

Haden purchased rubber chickens to decorate the pavilion for the event, and attendees dined on various chicken dishes after their dip into the lake. Due to the warmer weather, more people were willing to do the plunge, and participation increased dramatically, with between 30 and 35 people joining in the fun.

“I still have the chickens in case we do it again, but that’s right in the middle of boating season, and it’s hard to get people together during boating season,” said Haden.

Overall, as Haden explained, the club is “a fun way to give back to the community for a much-needed addition to the sheriff’s department.”