Happy New Year from Wareham Week and WarehamVillageSoup.com!

Here are some interesting U.S. population facts from the U.S. Census Bureau as you prepare to ring in the new year in Wareham.

• The U.S. Census Bureau projects the total United States population on January 1, 2012 will be 312,780,968. This would represent an increase of 2,250,129, or 0.7 percent, from New Year's Day 2011, and an increase of 4,035,430, or 1.3 percent, since Census Day (April 1, 2010), according to the U.S. Census.
• In January 2012, one birth is expected to occur every eight seconds in the United States and one death every 12 seconds. Wareham Week will be checking in with Tobey Hospital to find out how many New Year's babies Wareham welcomed into the world!
• Net international migration is expected to add one person to the U.S. population every 46 seconds in January 2012, according to the U.S. Census.
• The combination of births, deaths and net international migration results in an increase in the total U.S. population of one person every 17 seconds.

New Year's festivities and related events:

Polar Bear Dive

The Box 5 Association's annual Polar Bear Dive will take place this Sunday, January 1, at 12 p.m.

Participants will take a dip into Onset Bay to raise money for Box 5, which helps provide funding for Onset Fire Department programming and other causes. It uses the funds from the Polar Bear Dive to pay for food baskets that it gives to families in need during the holiday season.

Registration for the Polar Bear Dive begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Onset Pier. The cost is a $10 donation to Box 5. Checks can be made out to "Box 5 Association."

YMCA Southcoast open house

If fitness is on your list of New Year's resolutions, the Gleason Family YMCA in Wareham will host an open house from January 9-15 to help you get to know the facility and what it offers.

The open house hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Attendees will be eligible to win prizes and anyone who joins the Y will be given $25 in "Y Bucks" to be used on future programs.

For more about YMCA Southcoast, including open house hours at other locations and to download a free guest pass to use at the Y, visit www.ymcasouthcoast.org.