Great bathtub race.

• Author: Anderson, Tasha
• Position: TRAVEL

For nearly forty years, the residents of Nome have turned out to witness brave souls racing bathtubs down Nome's Main Street from the Post Office to City Hall. Leo Rasmussen was the originator of the first event and still organizes it today. "It was just something I conceived of for having a little fun yet having something that was sort of challenging. There were a few old bathtubs around and it was just an event that grew."

Teams are required to have five members, including a captain who is required to ride in the tub, which must have water in it from the start and finish with at least ten gallons officially, though Rasmussen says "we rarely do any measuring at the end because those who push bathtubs down Front Street have already exhaust, ed whatever they've got in them." The route is approximately three hundred yards, and contestants often dress up for the race.

The prize for winning is a trophy of Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog...