New Year's Day plunge at Newport's Lobster Bar honors Bonnie Kilroy - newportri.com
The Lobster Bar Restaurant in Newport will host its first annual Lobster Plunge on Jan. 1 to benefit a new foundation created in honor of the restaurant's late matriarch, Bonnie Kilroy.
"This is the first event [for the foundation], so we're not really sure how it's going to go, but we hope it's a good time and everyone enjoys themselves," said Patrick Kilroy, Lobster Bar Restaurant owner and Bonnie's son.
Polar plunges, or polar bear plunges, are popular annual winter events, often held on New Year's Day, where participants take a dip in chilly bodies of water. The Newport Polar Bears Club has hosted an annual Polar Plunge for the last 20 years at Easton's Beach in Newport to raise money for the Cranston-based nonprofit organization A Wish Come True.
The Lobster Bar's polar plunge will take place at Bowen's Wharf, next to the restaurant. The plunge will start at 1 p.m. and will also feature a cannonball contest at 3 p.m. The $25 entry fee will go toward supporting the new BonRock Foundation, which Kilroy and his family established in honor of his late mother, Bonnie, who died in June at age 74.
Kilroy said they hope to use the organization to help continue his mother's legacy of charitable action in the community by helping needy children across Aquidneck Island. He said they plan to create a few scholarships and do things like donating hockey equipment to local children because of the family's love of the sport.
"My mother was really big into helping out any kids and anyone in need, really. She had a super big heart," Kilroy said. "We're just trying to continue the tradition of keeping her legacy alive."
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