Crack-Up! Ice Goes Out On The Tanana River In Nenana. It's Spring

 The Nenana Ice Classic Is Alaska's Answer To Groundhog Day 

Nenana Ice Classic Clock. (Archive photo, Country Journal) 

Ice Went Out At 5:18 am April 27th, 2024 

In 1917, bored Alaska Railroad workers – hanging out in the long, cold lonely winter in the new little construction town of Nenana – were whiling away the early days of spring, waiting for the ice to go out. They couldn't work, in this little riverside place, until the water to the ocean began to flow freely.

They decided to take bets. 

And that's how the Nenana Ice Classic got off the ground. Every year, a black and white tripod is placed on the Tanana River ice. When spring finally comes, and the tripod starts tipping over, a rope is pulled and a clock is triggered.

People throughout Alaska have been taking bets on the exact day, hour, and minute this will happen. Winners take home a lot of money. As the Ice Classic organizers like to say, the average annual jackpot is over $300,000.

The ice went out this year, 2024, at 5:18 in the morning on Saturday, April 27th.