MICHAEL A. SAWYERS

Times-News Staff Writer

ROCKY GAP — There were some magic numbers Saturday afternoon at Rocky Gap State Park, the site of the fifth annual Hooley Plunge.

There were numbers such as 78 (the air temperature), 45 (the water temperature), 500-plus (the number of plungers) and $86,000.

The latter number, of course, was the most important, being the dollar amount raised for the Allegany County Special Olym-pics, Boy Scout Troop 89 and a number of special projects to help children with developmental disabilities.

“And there were still some donations coming in,” said Hooley spokeswoman Becky McClarran, shortly after the last ripple calmed at the park’s swimming beach.

Perhaps nothing puts the turnout of an adventurous and generous community into better perspective than a statement by Park Manager Mike Deckelbaum.

Looking around, putting his hands up in the air and taking in the unseasonal early March gathering, Deckelbaum said, “This is the largest single-day turnout at Rocky Gap since the (country and bluegrass) music festival.”

The park’s 480 parking slots were full, with other vehicles parked everywhere else that was level or close to it, according to Deckelbaum.

Nothing was more obvious Saturday than the wearing of the green, and much of that green was applied directly to the skin of plungers such as Ty Hemmis and Ashlen Hare, Fort Hill students who entered the water hand in hand.

“I’m going to stay under as long as I can,” Hemmis said. He did. It wasn’t all that long.

“This event gets better and better every year,” said organizer Sean McCagh, who had stumped mightily in the weeks leading up to the Hooley, telling all who would listen that $75,000 was possible in spite of existing economic troubles.

The goal was topped by at least $11,000.

Dorian Birkholz of Cumberland, who was dressed as Sham, and Sarah Morgan of Barton, who was attired as Rock were like most other plungers, not at all bothered that the air temperature was more like May and early March.

“I’m excited,” Sham said, her anntenae ears wiggling a little.

“I have a (relative) who had Down syndrome,” Rock said, explaining her reasons to join in the plunge.

The pair raised most of their pledges from their places of employment, Sham at ACS in Frostburg, and Rock at the Motor Vehicle Administration.

McClarran said the plunge was the perfect opportunity for the Allegany County Department of Homeland Security to use, for the first time, its decontamination unit. The unit gave plungers a post-dunk, warm-water rinse.

McClarran agreed that the use of the decontamination unit was a test of the equipment without having a real emergency.

The brothers Buckbee, Todd as an evil leprechaun and John as something very green, maybe St. Patrick, maybe not, he said, were ready to plunge, ingesting one form of liquid while waiting to streak into another form. “It helps,” John Buckbee said, holding his 12-ounce can aloft.

“We’re veterans of the plunge. We’ve been at every one of them,” John Buckbee said. “We’re glad it’s warm. We’ve been here when they had to use chain saws to cut the ice away.”

Divers from the Maryland Natural Resources Police, the Allegany County Dive Team and other volunteers formed a human barrier and walked (swept) the plunge area after each wave of about 100 plungers.

“This sure is different than a week ago at Deep Creek Lake (Deep Creek Dunk) when we had to cut 8 to 10 inches of ice so the event could take place,” said Sgt. Ken Turner.

“We’re honored to be here,” Turner said. “Our job is purely safety, so that everyone has a good time and gets to go home.”

Many a flip-flop floated as plungers ran into the water. One pair of eyeglasses was apparently lost. A wet time, it seemed, was had by all.

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.