Thousands ring in the New Year with Birch Bay festivities

The Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce hosted the Ring of Fire and Hope on December 31 and then splashed into the New Year with its 40th annual Polar Bear Plunge on January 1. Chamber executive director Danielle Gaughen said she believed roughly 2,000 to 3,000 people participated in the Ring of Fire and Hope and about 3,000 people attended the Polar Bear Plunge, although she said it’s hard to know an exact count.