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"Twelve hundred brave souls braved 20-degree temperatures -- never mind the brisk wind -- to take part in the Burlington Winter Festival's annual Penguin Plunge Saturday, all to benefit Vermont Special Olympics.\u00A0The screaming masses wore next to nothing, racing into Lake Champlain -- albeit briefly -- at the U.S. Coast Guard station ramp.Ambulances and city firefighters in\u00A0wet suits\u00A0stood ready in case of difficulty.\u00A0Several thousand spectators and Miss Vermont cheered them on.What's that moment of truth feel like?\"It's like a million ice cubes touching you all over the place,\" advised Bob Scheck of Colchester, and he should know. Scheck said he'd taken part in eight 'plunges' over the years.\"It's just a wonderful thing for some wonderful people,\" he said.\u00A0Queen City Mayor Miro Weinberger was among the first to get wet. \"Comes with the job,\" he quipped.Penguins ranged in age from 7 to 75 -- and each had solicited pledges of at least $150 to earn the the privilege of taking part.\u00A0\"It's totally worth freezing my butt off,\" said Cara Williams of Boston, as she prepared to dive in.\u00A0The event was expected to raise $400,000 for Special Olympics.\u00A0"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.mynbc5.com/article/big-chill-big-crowds-cheer-on-queen-city-penguins/3307167>