The annual ‘Polar Bear’ is just around the corner, causing local venues and administrators alike to gear up for the celebration.

The event is from 10 a.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday and takes place at Pinch Penny Pub and Copper Dragon. But the expression Polar Bear has become a universal term for the day itself.

Twitter personality Anthony Greff said the concept of Polar Bear began 13 years ago.

Greff plans and manages events at the bars in Carbondale, and has been doing unofficial St. Patrick’s day since 2008 and unofficial Halloween since 2010. This will be his third year working with local bars on “Polar Bear” and “Puck Finch,” Stix and Cali’s version of Polar Bear, respectively.

The idea began when Corona came in on a sales call and pitched an idea to Pinch Penny general manager James Karayiannis for boosting sales in the area. Corona ended up sponsoring the new event they called Polar Bear.

“We said, hey, what if we open up the beer garden on a traditionally cold time of the year,” Karayiannis said. “And just have one thing that’s reserved for warm weather, like Corona.”

Karayiannis said when Polar Bear began, shows like Survivor were popular and the idea of Polar Bear thrived from this.

“It was all about what extreme will people go to in life, that was a popular craze,” he said. “And sitting outside for as long as possible seemed like an ideal fit.”

Greff said Polar Bear has grown rapidly, which has led to rumors of the university shutting down during the event in previous years.

“It’s so large,” he said. “The city of Carbondale almost feels the need of that extra police presence for security.”

Greff said like unofficial Halloween, state police officers will be present this weekend and said drinking tickets will be strictly enforced.

He said Polar Bear helps the local economy.

“If Carbondale allowed for more events like this, we’d bring in more business,” he said.

This year, Polar Bear will feature ‘90s cover band, The Hot Sauce Committee, at Copper Dragon. The band played at last year’s event and sold out its unofficial Halloween show.

Karayiannis said Polar Bear has become unique and is something he thinks SIU students are proud of.

“It’s not just a drinking event, it’s an event that’s theirs,” he said. “Lots of schools have unofficial Halloween, everyone celebrates St. Patrick’s Day. Everyone has basketball and football teams, everyone has homecoming. Everybody does not have a Polar Bear party.”

The university has sent letters to inform parents and guardians of the party. Chancellor Rita Cheng said the letters were sent within the last month and are signed by Associate Dean of Students Katherine Sermersheim.

This is the third year letters have been mailed to the parents and guardians of undergraduate students with information about Polar Bear suggesting they speak to their children about excessive drinking.

“This is not about necessarily underage drinking,” Cheng said. “This is about binge drinking.”

Cheng said the administration feels sending letters to guardians is the best way to influence students to make good decisions.

“Our students are adults,” she said. “We know that parents still have influence and our hope was to encourage awareness and conversation between parents and students about responsibility.”

Cheng said while there has been a decline in arrests and transports to the emergency room during Polar Bear, the numbers are still too high.

“Last year, nearly 100 people were issued citations, and more than a dozen people were taken to the emergency room with blood alcohol levels that were potentially lethal,” the letter said.

Cheng said the letter does not inform guardians to tell their children not to participate, but advises them to be safe.

“We didn’t say don’t go to Polar Bear, we said make sure that you’re responsible,” she said. “We didn’t say don’t drink, we said take care of yourself and your friends.”

Cheng said the university is having several alternatives for students who decide to not participate in Polar Bear. The Student Recreational Center will be open until 1 a.m. on Sunday, a safety tent will be up on campus and the Student Center will be hosting another Dawgs Night Out.

Luke Nozicka can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter at @LukeNozicka, or 536-3311 ext. 268.