Update: The Kuskokwim Ice Classic tripod clock stopped at 7:51 p.m. on May 2, 2018. The organizers are determining a winner.
Original story: The Kuskokwim Ice Classic tripod has sunk, leaving only its colorful, wooden points sticking out of the rotten ice. But the line connecting the tripod to a ticking clock is still holding, and the clock continues counting down to break up.
Bethel Community Services Foundation operates the tripod, and Executive Director Michelle DeWitt went live on Facebook Wednesday afternoon to say that a winning ticket could be coming up.
“It is possible that just through the process of sinking that that could be enough to stop the clock,” she said, pointing the camera at the mostly submerged tripod.
Tension is building on the 100-foot line, and many people are driving past the river to check on the action. Whoever’s ticket guesses closest to when the ice breaks will take home $12,500.
“We’re carefully, carefully watching what happens," DeWitt said, "and we’ll certainly be posting as soon as that clock is stopped.”
The annual Bethel Break Up Bash, complete with live music and hot dogs, should follow that day or the next.
