THIS WEEKEND: Boat Show, Lakeside Winter Celebration, and Polar Plunge
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Greater Rochester Boat Show (WHEC file photo)
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Here’s your guide to events happening this weekend in the Rochester area. You can learn more about what’s happening around town on our Community Calendar.
Greater Rochester Boat Show (Thursday through Sunday)
The 38th annual Greater Rochester Boat Show continues on Friday at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. The show features hundreds of sports boats, pontoons, fishing boats, jet skis, and more.
On-site financing is available for people who buy boats during the show and dealers can hold onto a boat until you’re ready to use it. The show runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. It runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Admission is $10 per person, $7 for seniors, and it’s free for kids 12 and under, military members, and first responders. Parking is free. You can learn more here.
Lakeside Winter Celebration (Saturday and Sunday)
Ontario Beach Park will be full of winter activities including ice and snow sculpting, horse-drawn sleigh rides, beer and wine tasting, and live music this weekend.
The 39th annual Lakeside Winter Celebration kicks off on Saturday at 9 a.m. with an amateur snow sculpture contest. After that, ice and snow sculpting demos will begin at noon. Saturday’s festivities will end with fireworks at 6:15 p.m. over the Genesee River. The celebration continues on Sunday with the Polar Plunge.
There will also be sled dogs, art vendors, food, and more. You can see the full schedule here.
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Polar Plunge (Sunday)
Hundreds of people will plunge into Lake Ontario’s frigid waters on Sunday to raise money for Special Olympics New York.
Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the Rochester Polar Plunge at Ontario Beach Park begins at noon. Last year, 2,000 people took part in the Polar Plunge, raising $380,000 for Special Olympics competitions. You can donate and sign up for the Polar Plunge here.
The Special Olympics provides year-round training and competition to over 66,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities across two dozen sports. In the Rochester area, there are over 3,500 athletes and over 40 local Special Olympics competitions a year.
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