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Polar Bear Swim

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June 21, 2025, marks the 51st annual Polar Bear Swim, celebrated in Nome, Alaska, on the Saturday closest to the summer solstice (on June 21). Unlike many places in the USA’s lower 48 states (and Hawaii, of course), where taking a dip in the middle of June is a pleasure, splashing in the Bering Sea is not for the faint of heart. (Just ask anyone who’s survived falling overboard on Deadliest Catch.)

polar bear swim nome

The water is barely above freezing. In fact, in some years, the swim has been rescheduled because the ice hasn’t broken up enough to allow participants to wade in from Nome’s East End Beach. (Rush in and rush right back out is a more accurate description.)

The Polar Bear Swim is part of the Midnight Sun Festival, held in Nome during the summer solstice when the sun shines for 22 hours a day. Other festival events include the Gold Dust Dash, a four-mile foot race to win a gold nugget; the Midnight Sun Parade, with prizes for the best floats; and the Midnight Sun Annual Bank Robbery, a mock holdup of Wells Fargo Bank at high noon by gunslinging outlaws.

At 2 pm, roughly 100 people are expected to brave the icy water in bikinis, Speedos, and various costumes. A bonfire will be built on the beach, allowing everyone to warm up quickly after leaving the water. All swimmers will receive a certificate of achievement and join the ranks of those who have taken the plunge since 1975.

Whether it sounds like a rollicking good time or makes you want to dive under an electric blanket, there’s no doubt Nome’s Polar Bear Swim is a wacky holiday to rival Canada’s International Hair Freezing Day.

So jump in and tell your friends, “Come on in, the water’s f-f-f-freezing!”

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Buzzard Day

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June 14, 2025, is Buzzard Day in Glendive, Montana, and neighboring Makoshika State Park, Montana’s largest park, which spans 11,538 acres at an elevation of 2,415 feet above sea level. It falls on the second Saturday of June and celebrates the return of turkey vultures to eastern Montana.

Buzzard Day

The name Makoshika (Ma-ko’-shi-ka) is derived from a Lakota phrase meaning bad land or bad earth. The park contains rock formations, the fossil remains of Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops, and miles of hiking trails and scenic drives.

Buzzard Day
Today’s main event is Montana’s toughest 10k run. There will also be a 5k run, mini-train rides, and a cornhole tournament. Kids can participate in a fun run, play miniature golf, and jump in a bouncy house. Gomez, a turkey vulture, will visit from ZooMontana, a 70-acre wildlife park in Billings that is the state’s only zoo.

Gomez at ZooMontana

A “Native American Heritage Display” will be on view. Since a 2023 census showed that only 1.22% of Glendive’s 4,831 residents were Native American (90.2% Caucasian, 5.2% Hispanic, 0.1% African American, and 3.3% of other races), we’re guessing there may not be many Lakota on hand to staff the booth.

Makoshika State Park’s visitor center houses a Triceratops skull, other kid-friendly exhibits, and, of course, a gift shop. Pick up souvenirs of your visit and learn about other park events, including a concert series, Montana Shakespeare in the Park, and a summer youth program.

Happy Buzzard Day!

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May 30 is Water a Flower Day

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Today is Water a Flower Day. We don’t know who started this day of observance, but we hope you won’t play favorites and will show all your plants some love.

Dictionary.com defines a flower as:

water a flower day1. the blossom of a plant

2. Botany.

a. the part of a seed plant comprising the reproductive organs and their envelopes if any, especially when such envelopes are more or less conspicuous in form and color.

b. an analogous reproductive structure in other plants, as the mosses.

3. a plant, considered with reference to its blossom or cultivated for its floral beauty.

Pollen, when transferred between a flower’s male anther and female stigma, carries the genetic information necessary to create a new plant. Some flowers can pollinate themselves while others rely on cross-pollination by wind, insects, or birds. The process produces seeds only when pollen moves between flowers of the same species.

Do your part to help Mother Nature today. If you need some inspiration, visit the Geißkannen Museum in Geissen, Germany, which is devoted entirely to its collection of more than 1,000 watering cans. It is always working to expand the exhibit. Its website asks, “Would you like to donate a watering can and thus enrich our collection to another individual, horticultural aids for targeted artificial irrigation?” (Thank you to Google for that poetic translation.)

Happy Water a Flower Day!

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May Ray Day

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May Ray DayToday is May Ray Day. Its goal is simple. If you look out the window and it’s sunny, go outside and enjoy it. (Common sense tip: If you’re in the middle of a business meeting, driving a car, or standing anywhere above the first floor, wait for a more appropriate time and place to step outside.)

I have been unable to determine the creator of May Ray Day. It could be someone who sells sunscreen or solar panels or who worships the sun and wants to indoctrinate others to believe in Ra, Helios, Sol, Utu, or the lesser-known gods of Melanoma, Squamous, and Basal Cell.

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. About 86 percent of melanomas and 90 percent of other skin cancers are associated with exposure to UV radiation. Before you head out, read these myth-busting facts from the Skin Cancer Foundation. We’ve thrown in one about tanning beds for good measure.

Myth: UVB radiation is a good source of vitamin D.

Fact: We can produce only a limited amount of vitamin D from UVB radiation. For Caucasians, that limit is reached after just five to 10 minutes of midday sun exposure. After reaching the limit, further exposure will not increase the amount of vitamin D in the body. Rather, it has the opposite effect: the vitamin D stored in the body begins to break down, leading to lower vitamin D levels. 

Myth: Sun exposure is the only source of vitamin D.

Fact: Vitamin D can be obtained from oily fish (like salmon, fresh tuna, trout and sardines) and cod liver oil, as well as from fortified orange juice and milk, yogurts, and some cereals. Supplements are readily available and inexpensive.

Myth: Tanning beds are a healthy option for boosting vitamin D levels.

Fact: The indoor tanning industry often makes the false claim that indoor tanning is helpful for vitamin D production. In reality, vitamin D is received through exposure to UVB rays; the bulbs used in tanning beds mainly emit UVA rays. Tanning beds are a known carcinogen. Just one indoor UV tanning session increases users’ chances of developing melanoma by 20 percent, and each additional session during the same year boosts the risk almost another two percent. 

So apply a liberal amount of broad-spectrum sunblock, put on your sunglasses, and don a wide-brimmed hat before venturing outside. (If it’s raining, don’t worry. There are plenty of days left in May. One of them will surely be sunny.)

Sun responsibly and have a happy May Ray Day!

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