Nenana Ice Classic tripod tips, but doesn't trip clock

Residents in Nenana, the location of one of the state’s favorite guessing games, were alerted by a loud siren triggered by the famous Nenana Ice Classic Tripod Monday afternoon.

The siren rang out as the iconic black-and-white tripod tipped over, sinking partially into the Tanana River. One person was at the riverside at that moment, and began recording a Facebook Live video on the Classic’s page moments later. In the video, the siren can be heard as locals begin filing down to the river’s edge.

While the siren was triggered, the tripod hasn’t moved enough to stop the official contest clock, said Cherrie Forness, manager of the Nenana Ice Classic. Forness told Channel 2 Monday afternoon that the tripod usually moves about 100 feet before it triggers the clock to stop.

This year’s jackpot is $225,000. If you’re hoping to cash in big after today’s movement, you’re out of luck – the last day to buy tickets was April 5.

The clock has tripped on April 30 nine times since the organizers began keeping record in 1917.

Once the clock is triggered, don’t forget that the contest clock is set in Alaska Standard Time – we’re currently on Alaska Daylight Time. That means the official clock never “sprung forward” for Daylight Saving Time, so the official time will be an hour behind your watch.

The contest has a web camera that updates every 30 seconds.

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Watch the Live video captured moments after the siren began sounding below: