The Nenana (AK) Ice Festival

The little town of Nenana (Nee nana), Alaska is about 55 miles south of Fairbanks and lies at the junction of the Nenana and Tenana (Tee nana) rivers.
During the winter, both of these rivers freeze solid with ice about 3 1/2 to 4 feet thick.
Each year since 1917, a lottery has been held to see who can come closest to the date and time when the ice will have melted enough for the ice to break up on the Tenana River.
To determine the exact date and time, a tall tripod is placed on the ice out in the middle of the Tenana. A cable is attached to the tripod with the other end of the cable going to a tower on the shore and is attached to a clock. When the tripod on the ice moves enough to pull the cable enough, the clock will stop. That will be the winning day and time to the second.
Tickets can be purchased for $2.50 each in various places around Alaska, or you can mail your entry in to the Nenana township. By law, tickets cannot be sold over the internet or any other automated means.
The tripod is placed on the river about April 1. Ticket sales end on April 11.
Historically, ice breakup will happen sometime within the next week.

Last year's winner took home a little more than $260,000.
Stay tuned.