Ever since they met 13 years ago, Nardone and McConnell have taken part in the L Street Brownies’ annual New Year’s Day plunge. The event started with a march from L Street Tavern to M Street Beach led by the Greater Boston Firefighters Pipes and Drums. For the Wakefield couple, the day started with their traditional coffee and sambuca. This year, the bar set a special table for the bride and groom with champagne flutes and a bottle of prosecco on ice.
The air temperature was 46 degrees on Wednesday with the water temperature in the 40s, according to the National Weather Service.
Nardone’s mother, Donna Nardone, joked: “If it was a destination wedding, we would have been a lot warmer!”
Swimmers of all ages donned colorful costumes, bathing caps, even bathrobes. They brought their babies, their dogs, and, for some, stealthily disguised adult beverages as they braved the fog and chilly mist.
Each year, hundreds of people dip into the bay with the L Street Brownies, the self-proclaimed “World Famous” South Boston swimming club founded in 1865. Traditionally, club members swam every day of the year, no matter the weather. The daily ritual was so important to them that in 1913, the Globe reported that it was “not unusual at L St, after an extremely cold night,” when Dorchester Bay was frozen over, “to see a naked bather plodding through the snow armed with a hatchet or ax for the purpose of cutting out a space large enough for a dip.”
The Brownies sell T-shirts at L Street Tavern to raise money for charitable neighborhood causes, and in past years proceeds have gone toward the South Boston Special Kids & Young Adults organization, the South Boston Sports Hall of Fame Scholarship Trust Fund, and The Mighty Quinn, a fund-raising initiative for a child with cancer.
For some swimmers, like Darlene Stout, the 2025 plunge was a first.
“I thought it would be fun, something new,” said Stout, 65, of Somerville. Her wife, Rosemary Marano, wore a colorful, matching swim cap in solidarity but stayed back on land to take photos.
For others, like 73-year-old Ed Johnson, a cool dip on Jan. 1 is a tradition that dates back to his tenure as a teenage lifeguard at M Street.
“Years ago, it was all old men. And now it’s all the young kids, it’s great,” said Johnson, who now lives in Hingham. “It gets your heart pumping fast.”
Teri Muller and Maryellen Wyman, of Arlington, have been dunking together for years, with their husbands serving as loyal photographers.
“It was kind of a scary thing to do, and I like starting out doing something like that. It sets the tone for feeling empowered all year,” Muller said. “Plus the cold water is really great for arthritis.”
As the morning drew on, more friends and family arrived at the beach to celebrate Nardone and McConnell, the bride and groom.
To the surprise of onlookers, the newly-minted couple took a second plunge after having already dried off.
“If we can do this, we can get through anything,” Nardone said as they emerged from the bay.
And a few minutes later, they ran into the water once more.
Samantha J. Gross can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @samanthajgross.
