Abby Hoover is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media on Leap Day, Sat., Feb. 29, more than 100 people participated in the Oakdale Plunge, raising nearly $33,000 for the Hudson Youth Department and the Hudson Fire Department Water Rescue and Dive Team. Mark Vota, of the Athens Fire Deparment’s Swift Water Rescue Team, said the teams collaborate when emergencies arise on the Hudson River. “The last time we took a temperature it was 41.6 degrees,” Vota said. “I was in there for two hours, I’m a little chilly. It’s awesome. It’s great to see the community come together, you know, support everybody, crazy people jumping in there.” The Dunkin Gonuts' tea bag costumes tied for Best Costume with Team Lords-a-Leaping after deliberation by judges Mayor Kamal Johnson, The Second Show's Carol Lavender and Elena Mosley, of Operation Unite. The MetzWood Insurance team was the top fundraiser for the second year in a row. Peter Frank, with Friends of Hudson Youth, said 120 people plunged and 366 individual donations were received. “Even though it was cold, we definitely had more people,” Frank said. “It totally exceeded our expectations.” [Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot com.