Feb 8, 2026 By Paul Paterra 4 min read

Frigid weather conditions were not going to deter the participants of the 13th annual Frosty Frolic Saturday.

Sure, the 70 some jumpers who took part did not take a dip in the icy Monongahela River. It was way too cold to do that. But they did get a rush of cold water by being dunked into tanks of water set up at the Coal Center Wharf.

“We leave that up to river rescue,” explained Lisa Buday, president of the California Area School District Foundation. “We knew a couple of weeks ago we were swapping out for dunk tanks.”

Precautions were taken. The Brownsville Area Ambulance Service had a warming tent with heaters and personnel on site.

The premier “Fun” draiser for the California Area School District began in 2014, and since then has raised more than $150,000 for the district. This year’s event eclipsed $25,000. The money goes to scholarships for graduating seniors and grants for school projects not covered by tax dollars.

Walter MacFann, a California Area School District trustee who developed the idea for the Frosty Frolic, has gone into the water each year and did so again Saturday, dressed as Frosty the Snowman.

“I really enjoy doing this for the children of the California Area School District,” he said. “I don’t have children myself. I wasn’t blessed with that. This is my philanthropic effort for the past 13 plus years.”

MacFann raised $510 for this year’s event, the highest total for an individual.

Other jumpers included members of the PennWest California football team, members of various college fraternities and sororities, students from the California Academy of Learning, high school principal Dr. Joshua Pollock, who bravely sported shorts, and Stephanie Hoesly, the district’s director of special education and student services.

Senior Ally Grodz and junior Holden Kelly served as the event’s student ambassadors and raised $1,215 between the two of them.

“We went on radio programs, we advertised through friends and family and businesses to raise money for the foundation,” Kelly said.

Being a senior, Grodz gets a special feeling about the Frosty Frolic.

“It means a lot,” she said moments before preparing to hit the water. “It’s an exciting time for all of us. We really appreciate the California Area School District foundation for offering these scholarships. It means everything.”

The duo was touched by how many people still came to the event on an extremely cold February Saturday afternoon.

“It makes us feel great,” Kelly said. “Even though it’s cold and the weather is not ideal they still come out and support the foundation and the seniors of California (Area High School).”

Kelly dressed as the Big Bad Wolf and Grodz as Little Red Riding Hood, and they won prizes for the costumes.

There was a party atmosphere, despite the thermometer fighting to get out of single digits and wind chill factors that registered negative temperatures, especially when heightened by a frosty wind.

A DJ played music, baked goods were available for purchase and prizes were awarded.

Lisa Roberts, of Allenport, participated because her daughter Lydia, 4, will eventually be a California Area High School student.

“It just seemed like a good time to start,” she said. “This is my third year doing it, and every year I try to recruit somebody and (Cynthia Foster of Derry) is the only one crazy enough to do it.”

Roberts’ key for the jump – in and out of the water quickly. By the way, the group of her and Cynthia and Antonio Foster, dubbed the “Ice Queens” won the prize for best group costume.

Seniors Morgan Ross and Sydney Dunn felt exhilarated upon coming out of the water.

“It was fun,” Ross said. “It was like a rush of adrenaline.”

“It was a little cold, but it’s going to a great cause,” added Dunn.

No matter the weather, folks turn out for the Frosty Frolic each year.

“This is the best party day,” Buday said.