Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Visitors Guide Nenana's connection to Iditarod Sled Dog Race In 1925, a diphtheria epidemic threatened the town of Nome. The much needed serum was raced from Nenana to Nome by dog team. Today this historic event is commemorated with the world famous Iditarod Sled Dog Race. After a long, dark winter trying to stay warm and keep the pantry stocked, people in Alaska are ready for spring. The signs are everywhere.
People shed their parkas, exposing acres of pasty white flesh in vain attempts to get tans.
And no one will argue that water flooding traffic intersections is a sure sign that summer is near. But Alaskans are by nature a gambling lot, and spring just wouldn't be the same if they couldn't stake some money on it. For two bucks, you can guess when ice four feet thick in the nearby Tanana River will melt. In many places in the Lower 48, you have state lotteries. We have the Nenana Ice Classic.