It started as a dare, some 47 years ago, when members of the River City Ski Club decided to take to the cold, cold waters of Kilowatt Lake in North Memphis on the first of the year in 1977. Water-skiers, bare-footers, and wake-boarders did their thing and decided this crazy, antic-heavy event would become a tradition and a tradition it has stayed, though now in the Wolf River. Today, the Ski Freeze, as it is called, also raises funds for the nonprofit Dream Factory of Memphis, which grants wishes for critically and chronically ill children ages 3 through 18 in the Mid-South.
Brian Juengling, president of the Dream Factory of Memphis, didn’t participate in that first ski, but he did ski in the first one in 1988 that raised money for the volunteer-run nonprofit he now heads. And while he’s hung up his skis after 20 years of skiing in the Ski Freeze, Juengling has been volunteering with the Dream Factory since 1988. “Granting dreams is food for your soul,” he says. “I can promise you that I get way more out of it than I give.”
Last year the group granted 11 dreams. “They’re an average of about $5,000 per child,” he says. “Our most popular dream is Disney without a doubt because a lot of the kids we do dreams for are younger, but then they jump all over the place.”
Nine-year-old Branson, who is diagnosed with Fabry disease, a rare inherited disorder, is the nonprofit’s most recent dream recipient. He likes to ride his bike, listen to Jelly Roll, watch football, and cheer on the Memphis Grizzlies. “He wants a backyard cabin that he can go hang out in,” Juengling says, “so that’s what we’re going to do.” The proceeds from Ski Freeze will be used to grant Branson’s Dream.
Ski Freeze is open to the public, and free to attend. For those who want to brave the waters, it costs $30 to participate. “The water temperature is usually in the 40s, mid-40s,” Juengling says. “And the ambient temperature can be anywhere from 70 to 20 depending on what the weather brings.”
NHRA Top Fuel Driver Clay Millican will make a special appearance. “We also have a number of motorcycle clubs that do what they call their polar ride on New Year’s Day,” Juengling adds. “We usually have someone cooking hamburgers, hot dogs, coffee, and hot chocolate. We have either a raffle or a lot a live auction. All those funds raise money for the Dream Factory.”
Register for Ski Freeze at skifreeze.com/#register. Find more information about the nonprofit to donate or volunteer at dreamfactorymemphis.org.
Ski Freeze, Mud Island River Park, 125 N. Front St., Monday, January 1, 10:30 a.m.