It all started out over 100 years ago as a little wager between some railroad engineers.
Every year, people talk about when the tripod will tip on the Tanana River, but how long has this tradition actually been around?
“It was a dollar a guess that year,” explained Ice Classic Director Megan Baker. “The total jackpot was $800, and everybody put in their guesses of when the ice was gonna go out.”Baker said it’s one of the most iconic events for the state of Alaska. There’s even a weekend scheduled around putting up the famed tripod called Tripod Days.
“So you’ve got people on one end, helping raise it up and people on the other end, helping to make sure it doesn’t fall,” she explained.After being planted in the river ice about 300 feet from shore, ropes and a cable connect it to the tower, which connects the tripod to two clocks.“There’s a huge misconception. They think that the tripod — when it tips over — that that’s their winning time. That’s not true,” Baker said.
“Generally, we have anywhere between 80 to 100 employees that come to our community civic center, and hand sort all of those tickets and type them up and check them and triple check,” Baker said.While Baker said winning is fun and exciting, it’s so much more than just hitting the jackpot.
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