Eden Prairie proclaims March 14 as Polar Plunge Day, honors Special Olympics athlete

The Eden Prairie City Council on March 3 proclaimed Saturday, March 14, 2026, as Eden Prairie Polar Plunge Day and presented the proclamation to Special Olympics athlete Elizabeth Neville.

Mayor Ronald Case read a proclamation citing the 19th annual Eden Prairie event at Lake Riley, the community partnership with Special Olympics Minnesota, and a local fundraising goal of more than $175,000. Police Chief Matt Sacket told the council the Eden Prairie event has run for 18 years locally, has hosted hundreds of plungers (551 plungers and about $176,000 raised at last year’s Eden Prairie event as reported at the meeting), and that the local event’s cumulative fundraising exceeds $2.3 million for Special Olympics Minnesota.

Elizabeth Neville, who identified herself as an athlete and a Special Olympics global messenger, thanked city staff, police and volunteers and described her participation in numerous Special Olympics sports. "I am so honored to be here tonight," she said, and thanked officers and the council for their continued support. She noted Minnesota will host the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, with locations at the University of Minnesota and other regional sites.

City staff encouraged residents who want to participate or sponsor teams to visit plungemn.org for registration information, and invited volunteers from parks and public safety to support the event. The council presented the proclamation and took photos with Neville and event organizers.

The proclamation encourages residents to participate in fundraising and attend the March 14 event at Lake Riley. The council moved on to other agenda business following the presentation.