Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Nose for News by Sarah Stultz

Once we make it through the work week, there’s another big weekend ahead for Albert Lea — and particularly the All Together Albert Lea Inclusive Playground.

As part of Albert Lea’s Big Freeze festivities on Saturday, the inclusive playground committee is hosting a couple of events out at Edgewater Bay Pavilion across from where the playground will ultimately be built.

What we think will be the largest event, Plunge for the Park, challenges teams to raise money for the playground and then take a jump into Fountain Lake’s Edgewater Bay.

If any year was better than another to jump in the lake, I’d guess this would be the year with the above normal temperatures we’ve been seeing.

While it’s no doubt still going to be cold, I bet it will be night and day better than if we had hovered around typical Minnesota temperatures instead.

The plunge begins at 11 a.m., and teams are encouraged to start arriving at 10:30 a.m. to turn in the funds they’ve raised and prepare to jump.

Whether you’re jumping in or you just want to watch, it’s sure to be a good time.

Everyone from Albert Lea Mayor Rich Murray and Albert Lea City Manager Ian Rigg to members of the Albert Lea Police Department and Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office, to staff and members at the Albert Lea Family YMCA, Moose Lodge and Robert Hoffman Realty will be jumping in. Anyone is welcome, and if you don’t have a full team, come anyway, and we’ll pair you up with some others.

Grab a few other friends or co-workers, ask your family and friends to sponsor you and come down to participate.

The 112 on Broadway will be on hand in the pavilion starting at 10:30 a.m. selling beverages, and then a chili cook off and bake sale will also be taking place in the pavilion. If you have a chili you want to make or simply want to taste some of the others people have prepared, come check it out! It’s free to bring a chili to enter.

To taste chili costs $6 or $5 with the donation of a nonperishable food item. Donated food will go to the Albert Lea Salvation Army.

There will also be a bake sale with lots of yummy goodies, and bricks will be available for purchase for the park as well.

You can’t beat these temperatures we’ve been having, and we hope you’ll take advantage of it and get out and enjoy some time outdoors.

If you are not able to make it out on Saturday, Albert Lea’s First Lutheran Church is also hosting a community breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday for the playground.

It’s great to see all the support for this wonderful opportunity for our children, and I hope to see you there!

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Wednesday.