- The Alaskan Powerball - May 2, 2018
On April 30, 2018 the tripod tipped and pulled the siren but NOT the timer!
It took another day for the line fastened to the tripod out in the river to finally trigger the clock, marking, this year’s official winning date and time: May 1, 1:18 p.m. The date, itself already a bettor’s favorite, claims further distinction as an eight-time winner in Alaska’s version of Powerball.
“We won’t know who or how many winners,” Cherri Forness, The Nenana Ice Classic manager was quoted saying, “until we are completely finished checking the tickets against what has been typed. Hoping to know by Friday.”
Ice Classic officials have determined that the jackpot awaiting winning ticket holders is $225,000!
At least the waiting game was over those who put down $2.50 for a ticket, registering guesses on when the Tanana River would finally break up, downing the four-legged “tripod” located out on the ice between the Alaska Railroad and the Parks Highway bridges.
This is gambling in a state that does not take part in Powerball!
For months, the clock on the tripod was ticking, watchmen were on duty and people flocked to the Nenana Ice Classic Facebook page, hypothesizing their guesses with others. Contenders had many different methods of determining when the ice would break-up. Some study the ice thickness data and the historical breakup times, while others turned to superstition or sentimentality choosing their times.
Hannah Hartley, 26, of Fairbanks, was born and raised in Alaska. She says that she remembers helping her mother pick dates and times when she was a child and her grandfather from a village in McGrath always gave each grandchild a ticket each year. Along with her gifted ticket, Hartley spent $15 dollars to buy a few more. Though she says that she isn’t much of a gambler, the tradition is just too fun to pass up! This year she went methodical, choosing the day with the most past wins, while also including her lucky number 3 in all of her chosen times.
“It’s always an exciting time of year!” said Karen MacDonald, 52, of Wasilla. “It means that summer is almost here.’
MacDonald says that her family has been participating in the Ice Classic her whole life, and then some. She buys $40 worth of tickets each year. Since her children have become adults she has been hosting an Easter dinner where she gifts all the adults with a ticket to make a guess. “It is extra fun for the family to all be involved.’
MacDonald makes some guesses based on historical data, she bases others on the birth dates and times of her husband and children. She makes one guess per day, which she started the 22nd of April this year, because of the mild winter. “The closest I have ever come is 20 minutes away, which in my opinion is like a million miles away!’
She counted on the ice going out by the 5th of May, because that was her last ticket.
This Nenana tradition started in the early 1900’s as a small betting pool among railroad engineers on the breakup of the Tanana Ice.
Since then, the jackpot has grown as the sweepstakes drew attention from all over the world. In 2017, the payout was $267,444.
The Nenana Ice Classic is a non-profit charitable gaming organization. The proceeds from tickets sales benefit many local organizations such as: The American Cancer Society, The Fairbanks Food Bank, The Nenana Public Library, The Nenana Senior center and many more.
Local resident Joe Verhagen, 22, credits the Ice Classic with bringing opportunities to the small town. “A lot of the people in Nenana who don’t have full-time jobs are able to work counting tickets and that’s really helpful for them.’
Because of religion, Verhagen’s family doesn’t take part in the betting. Several will make guesses, but no one has gotten closer than picking the right day.
Verhagen says that it is not too common to see the tripod go out, but he witnessed it happen in 2015. Typically when the alarm first sounds, signaling the tripod’s fall, the flag string holds for at least an hour before breaking. By the time that happens, he says, there are about 30 people around to watch.
He mentions that Tripod days, the day that the tripod is erected onto the river, is a ton of fun. The town is filled with dance groups, vendors, games and food!
“I know at least two people that have won the jackpot,” Verhagen says, “neither of them won the whole thing.
It is pretty rare,” he adds, “the people who usually win it buy hundreds of tickets to increase their possibilities.’
Individuals enter the contest by guessing the month, day, hour and exact minute that they believe (and hope!) that the tripod will tip. Tickets cost $2.50 a piece and are on sale from February 1st to April 5th throughout the state. The tripod has twice fallen as early as April 20, in 1940 and 1998. The latest was May 20, in both 1964 and 2013.
The last ice measurement for the 2018 season was taken April 18, showing the river ice was 25 inches thick! With the warmer temperatures, The Nenana Ice Classic Facebook page had predicted this year’s ice would likely break up over the weekend.
Get ready for 2019: Study past winning date and times and take a wild, or scientific guess.
