OLCOTT — Most of the 991 “swimmers” who turned out Sunday afternoon for Olcott’s 41st Polar Bear Day spent only a few minutes in the 37-degree water before they dashed ashore for dry towels and warmer accommodations.

But not Kyle Kokanovich of Amherst, who found his first dip into Lake Ontario at Krull Park “invigorating.”

It was so invigorating, in fact, that he said he returned to the water four more times, for a total of five “swims” during the 45-minute-long charity program.

“It’s a great thing to do, and it’s for a great cause,” he said as he stood in the 39-degree air temperature ashore.

“I feel great. My fingers and toes are a little cold, but I’m fine. It’s really invigorating,” Kokanovich said after he put on some warm clothes.

He said Sunday was the first time he had participated in the annual Polar Bear Day sponsored by the Olcott Lions Club.

“Of course, I’m coming back next year,” he promised enthusiastically.

Watch the Polar Bear Day Swim for Sight

Among the other “swimmers” was Melody Dixon of Newfane, who was making her fourth appearance at the charity event. She said she had taken the plunge in 1999, 2000, 2007 and now in 2010.

“The secret to doing it is to not think about the cold,” Dixon said before the swim as she peeled off layers of clothes. By the time she was ready to go into the water, she was wearing only her blue bikini bathing suit.

There were lots of bikinis among the surfers, but some of the participants went into the water fully clothed.

One young woman tiptoed into the lake wearing pink pajamas and pink “bunny” slippers. She ventured out only far enough to get her “bunnies” and her ankles wet.

In contrast, some of the more adventuresome ducked completely under the water.

One of the first people into the water was a man who gave his name as John Smith, 47, of Attica. He said he had been coming to the Polar Bear Days with his late brother since they were infants, but this was his first time to go into the water.

He waded into the lake fully clothed and wearing a metal hard hat, stayed in for a few seconds and then calmly walked up the stone stairway to the Krull Park terrace to a smattering of scattered applause from among the hundreds of spectators there.

This year’s 30 or so candidates for queen of the day chose Jacqueline Wilk of Buffalo as the queen of the queens, and she was given a silk sash and bouquet of flowers . Wilk led the official stampede into the water, wearing a two-piece white bathing suit.

Many of the queen contestants wore bikinis, and some sported strings of Mardi Gras beads hung loosely around their necks.

There was a special swim for those 18 years old and younger, and many of them wore sweat shirts into the water. The very youngest ones closely held their parents’ hands.

William J. Clark, a lifelong resident of Olcott who has been chairman of the Polar Bear Day program for 15 years, said the 991 participants who signed up this year set a record for the number of participants “and probably will exceed the $15,000 that we raised for charity last year.”

Each participant pays a fee and collects financial pledges from friends and neighbors. Clark said the money not only supports the Lions Club and its eyesight programs but also is shared with numerous other charities. “We encourage the swimmers to raise more money, and they are responding well,” he said.

The scattered clouds parted to reveal a sunny sky just as the program began around 2 p. m.

“This is certainly a nice day; it’s one of the nicest days we’ve had in years, and that brings out more swimmers,” Clark said.

No serious injuries were reported among the boisterous crowd, but a few people were treated for small cuts or scrapes suffered when they slipped on the snow or on the mud-covered steps leading to the sandy and pebble-covered beach.

Already looking forward to next year, Clark said: “With more than 200 swimmers expected next year, we will organize the program a little more efficiently so people can get into and out of the water easier.”

Although much of Lake Ontario is free of ice, the area closest to the beach had been completely frozen. Volunteers using heavy equipment dug out a large rectangular area of open water for the polar bear swimmers.