Taking the plunge

Original Toronto Star caption: Taking the plunge: The braver and younger Cochrane types revel in their Polar bear dip, just part of the hi-jinks that takes their minds off winter in this northern Ontario mining community. The winter carnival, running from Feb. 4 to 8, also includes races and a monster parade. -- THE CHIMO CARNIVAL at Cochrane, one of the more active of the Ontario winter celebrations, features a polar bear dip that plenty of locals but not too many visitors want to try. The participants plunge into Lake Commando through a hole in the ice and splash around, apparently quite happily, while onlookers shiver. Dates for the carnival, one of many to be held in Ontario, will be from Feb. 7 to 10. -- THIS ICY PLUNGE is one big hit of the Cochrane carnival, one of the zaniest held to break the spell of Ontario's winter. The girls take a steam bath and then race through zero temperature to jump in the lake.