Monday, December 20, 2004

3rd Annual Community Polar Bare Dip

Join me for this one. I will be one of the participants to strip off my clothes in protest and jump into the water.

Don't be clothes-minded! Dare to Go Bare! Take the fun plunge in your
one-button suit!


The Body Freedom Collaborative (BFC) / Seattle Free Beach Campaign (SFBC)
is pleased to announce its 3rd Annual Community Polar Bare Dip held this year at beautiful Richmond Beach in the City of Shoreline, King County, WA, USA
2021 NW 190th St., Shoreline, WA 98177-2831 ( you can easily generate a map with driving directions to the park at http://tinyurl.com/5cygs ) Saturday, January 15, 2005 at 9 AM (Dip starts at 9 AM sharp so get there early!)

Cheer us on or join in on the fun! All are welcome! From the shy to the bold. All ages,abilities, sizes, and colors welcome. Bring your family, friends, and co-workers!

What to wear? Do not fear! The Polar Bare Dip dress code is "Bare As You Dare"... How bare is that ? How dare is that ?...Its all up to you, you decide what you are
comfortable with. NO ONE IS EXCLUDED OR DISCRIMINATED AGAINST based on levels of clothing, bodypaint, or anything else, for that matter! PLEASE be creative and colorful in expressing yourself! Non-toxic bodypainting, decorating, banners, and other creative _expression is strongly encouraged!

Our dip is held on this day in honor of America's premier advocate of nude sunbathing, Benjamin Franklin, who was born in Boston on January 17, 1706. For those who are photo-shy or who are interested in honoring Ben Franklin, there are very inexpensive ( I seem to recall they were well under $5) Ben Franklin masks locally available in the patriotic-themed party section of Display & Costume. There is a location in Seattle (Northgate) and Everett. http://www.displaycostume.com

Richmond Beach features a breathing-taking view of Puget Sound and the Olympic
Mountains to the West. It is the next large park to the north of Carkeek Park (where last year's dip was held). There is plenty of parking for those who choose to carpool or drive. The dip will be on the main section of the beach after walking down from the footbridge over the railway. Please stay safe and legal; stay off the train tracks! Please do not take off your clothes until everybody is ready to go in together as a group.

A clothed beach clean-up follows the dip at 9:30 AM. Those participating in the clean-up should bring their own gloves and heavy duty garbage bags to carry out
litter. BFC will have a pickup truck to carry away any litter that cannot be disposed of in park garbage cans. Leave no trace!

Background:

This brief swim is one of many events BFC's Free Beach Campaign has launched to help fast-track development of clothing-optional beaches, especially in Washington State's Puget Sound region. While Oregon, California, and Vancouver B.C. boast many
clothing-optional beaches, the Puget Sound region has no such beaches with parking
and safe access for families and people with disabilities. Let's stop pushing
residents and tourists out of the state for body-positive recreation!

While some people don't mind going a little out of their way to enjoy recreation au naturel, most families and individuals prefer areas close to home, among communities that take their responsibility to maintain a safe and clean environment seriously. With the explosion of large-scale developments in formerly less-populated regions, and growing concern of the environmental impact and time involved in traveling for hours to reach too few remaining areas, grassroots momentum is growing fast to open existing local public beaches for clothing-optional use.

Americans traveling abroad, especially those from the Northwest, are increasingly aware of the disparity between what they can enjoy abroad and what little they have
back home. Many countries, especially in Europe, have been front runners for providing its citizens and their many tourists with a large and diverse selection of opportunities for clothing-optional recreation. Denmark, as an example, has had its entire coastline available for clothing-optional use, with the exception of two beaches, for 35 years! In Germany, many citizens can sunbathe in public parks and can be found skinnydipping along rivers all over the country. How can this cultural disparity be justified? If body acceptance can be a measurement of a civilized society, what does that say about us?

Isn't it time that Seattle, renowned worldwide for its natural beauty and friendly demeanor,caught up with the rest of the civilized world? Seattle citizens, say yes!
In a recent Seattle Post Intelligencer poll, citizens were asked "Should Seattle have a clothing-optional beach?" The results were very positive: Yes: 54.8%; No: 40.9%; Not sure: 4.3% (total votes: 2912, June 16, 2003).

The Bob Rivers Show posted a daily online poll on Sept 7, 2004 asking: "Activists in Seattle want the city to create a nude beach along an isolated stretch of Puget
Sound between Golden Gardens and Carkeek Park. Should we allow nude beaches?" Results (Total 229 votes cast):

Yes 85.15% "Preventing Americans from taking off their clothes in public is as bad as forcing women to wear burkhas. I don't care if flabby white people take off their clothes and frolic in the Sound, provided that I don't have to watch. Live and let live."

No 14.85% "Naked folks are popping up everywhere, from the Super Bowl to the streets of Fremont. The more local governments allow nudity, the more we'll have to
endure. Have you seen the people who want to run around nekkid? `Nuff said."

The addition of clothing optional beaches in Seattle will enhance and extend the multiple uses that Seattle Park & Recreation offers to an increasingly diverse
population, including the thousands of Northwest families and individuals looking for clothing optional beach in the State of Washington.

In a recent Naturist Education Foundation (NEF)/Roper Poll, Americans were asked: "Have you, personally, ever gone 'skinny dipping' or nude sunbathing in a mixed
group of men and women at a beach, at a pool, or somewhere else?" The results may
surprise you: Yes: 25%; No: 73% (Roper Poll of 1,010 adults, September, 2000, Error risk: 5%). The Poll shows that one of every four adults in the U.S. has been skinny-dipping or has sunbathed nude in a mixed-gender social setting. That is, by the way, a 10% increase from the same poll done in 1983. Using current population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the latest poll suggests more than 70 million Americans have participated at one time or another in nude recreation.

Last year we had a blast! We had about 14-16 dip participants, plus many who came to cheer us on! We had some great press coverage as well. Check out our web
page for the 2004 Polar Bare Dip at http://www.bodyfreedom.org/seattlebeaches/polarbaredip.html

Momentum is building! Help make it happen! Please join us for our winter
wade-in & cleanup at Richmond Beach and be sure your also mark your calendar for our other upcoming events:

** World Naked Bike Ride - Seattle - June 11th, 2005 Join others in cities worldwide (Those in other cities should sign up for other local rides or help coordinate one in their city) For more information about World Naked Bike Ride visit http://worldnakedbikeride.org <---be sure to use the sign up form to receive event info

** Seattle Free Beach Campaign - Multiple events planned for 2005, especially focusing on the promotion of Discovery Park Beach


For more information about the Seattle Free Beach Campaign visit http://
seattlebeaches.org
<--- be sure to use the sign up form to receive event info
For more information about the Body Freedom Collaborative visit
http://bodyfreedom.org

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