Polar Bears, Dancing and Fun

Tonight we attended our first Polar Bear Party at the Saguaro Escapees RV Co-op in Benson. Don and I have been to previous Polar Bear Parties at the Escapees Chapter 21 winter rally, but not to the bigger party at the park. There was a big turnout, 172 counted as attending, breaking last year’s record attendance of 165.

The only admission was a suggested donation to the Benson Food Bank, with boxes to receive the cans/packages set up on the first table. As you can see, donations spilled over the boxes. And, after cash donations exceeded the cost of the ingredients for the Polar Bears, over $200 was added to the goods for the Food Bank. Hors d’oeuvres were paid for by Chapter 21, and several volunteers served the trays of food and mixed the drinks.

Have you ever had a Polar Bear? Here’s one of the first ones being delivered.

A peek into the kitchen reveals some of the ingredients.

Kahlua, Vodka, vanilla ice cream and ice are blended into a yummy and innocent-tasting concoction, which made normally sane and sedate people get up out of their chairs and dance to the music! (Non-alcoholic root beer floats were also available. But that didn’t prevent those folks from dancing, too!)

Even the Polar Bear got to dance.

Lots of pictures were taken.

And friendships were made or rekindled.

Call it a late New Year’s celebration. We look forward to meeting up with lots of these friends in Parker at the Chapter 21 rally next week, and in Quartzsite afterward.