EXCELSIOR, Minn. - Nearly 800 people descended on the shores of Lake Minntonka to welcome the New Year with a chilly plunge.

The 23rd annual ALARC Ice Dive got under way at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at Bayview Event Center in Excelsior.

ALARC founder Bill Wenmark marked the occasion with his 23rd frigid dive to start the annual tradition.

An 86-year-old man from Mound is among those expected to take the plunge. A costume contest recognized the top two costumes worn by divers as they leapt into the lake.

The National Weather Service predicted an air temperature of 5 degrees below zero - with a wind chill of 17 below - about the time the dive gets going Tuesday morning.

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