Ah, Labor Day! The traditional end of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
The farther north you get, though, the more desperate people are to hold on to summer, and places don't get much farther north than Nome, Alaska, where Nomites show their desperation by piling into bathtubs and racing down Front Street.
It's not like just anyone can pull the tub out of their bathroom and take the plunge, though; there are strict rules for racing in the bathtub:
- Teams must have five members, four of whom must wear large brimmed hats and suspenders.
- Each racer must carry a bathing accessory: a large bar of soap, a wash cloth, a bath towel, or a bath mat.
- One member must be in the tub, taking a bath from the start to the finish line.
- The tub must be full of water and have no less than ten gallons of water left inside at the end.
It may sound like more
trouble than it's worth, but the reward is great: a statue of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, yes,
taking a bath.
Suggested Sites...
- The Nome Nugget - your one-stop shop for information about The Great Nome Bathtub Race.
- A Squeaky Clean Race - the full list of rules and regulations.
- For Bathtub Races, There's No Place Like Nome - NPR report on the 2006 race.
- Nome Convention and Visitors Bureau - there's more to Nome than snow and bathtub races -- we're pretty sure...
- Wikipedia: Bathtubs - a short history of personal bathing.
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