HANCOCK, MI - The polar bear plunge, a highlight of the Finnish-American Festival in the Upper Peninsula, has been cancelled this year.

The ice of Portage Lake is too thin. Temperatures have been in the high 30s for several days.

"They've been telling us for the last week to stay off the ice - you can see water on top," Mary Pekkala, festival treasurer, told MLive and the Grand Rapids Press on Wednesday, Jan. 25.

Organizers usually carve out a large hole in thick ice for the polar bear dive.

Even with temperatures expected to drop this week, it won't be enough to save the plunge, which had been set for Saturday, Pekkala said.

On the bright side, warmer weather could bring more visitors to the annual festival in Houghton County that runs from Jan. 13 to Feb. 6.

The parade is Saturday, followed by a wife-carrying contest and kicksled races.

The festival is a celebration of the halfway point of winter and includes many events.

