Asoaked man dressed in a silver wig and a pink bra and tutu pulled off one of his boots and turned it over, emptying the Beaver Lake water that had collected inside it moments earlier.

That man was Mark Bernthal, 55, of Bella Vista, whose Cupid outfi t, complete with bow and quiver, earned him the best costume award at the Polar Plunge on Saturday morning at the Prairie Creek swim area near Rogers.

The costume was his wife’s idea, he said.

“It was totally on a lark,” said Cathy Bernthal.

It was Mark Bernthal’s fi rst time doing the plunge. He seemed unfazed by his quick dip in the lake, despite the outdoor temperature hovering around 40 degrees at the time.

“I imagined it was just a warm bath and went for it,” he said. “After the initial shock it’s not too bad.”

Money raised from the plunge goes to Special Olympics Arkansas. More than 300 people participated in this year’s event and at least $40,000 was raised, said Donna Kilmer, Northwest Arkansas fi eld representative for Special Olympics.

Last year’s plunge raised more than $48,000. This year’s goal was $50,000, but Kilmer didn’t have a final total. Team Walmart was recognized for raising the most.

Kilmer said she was “very happy” with Saturday’s turnout. Participation has increased every year, she said.

The event was originally scheduled for Feb. 8, but was delayed a week because of the weather and road conditions, Kilmer said. Temperatures were below freezing most of that day. It was the second time in 15 years the plunge had to be postponed.

“The safety of people going in the water is our chief concern,” she said.

Three girls who attend Woodland Junior High School in Fayetteville shivered a bit as they posed for pictures together after emerging from the lake. The cold didn’t prevent them from smiling.

“I got shoved in (the water) from the back,” said Caroline Long, 14. “It was a lot colder than I expected.”

“It was like rolling around in the snow,” said Jessica Killenbeck, 14.

As is typical with the event, many participants wore costumes. One man dressed as a banana. Another person wore a Bigfoot costume.

Brook Bereznicki, an instructional aide at Washington Junior High School in Bentonville, dressed up as comic book character the Flash. She wore all red with lightning bolts attached to the sides of her head.

The Special Olympics has meaning to her because her sister has Down syndrome and her brother-in-law has autism, she said. She also works with autistic students at her school.

It was her first time doing the plunge. She said she will probably do it again.

“It was a lot of fun,” she said, as she wrapped herself in towels and blankets.

Soon after the event ended, an ambulance was called for one of the plunge participants. A man familiar with the patient said the patient’s medical emergency wasn’t related to the plunge.