Uploaded October 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
For the Classic - A Documentary Film's credit sequence, director Tim Kaminski and I wanted to send off the town of Nenana, Alaska right by writing their very own song. Written in the same Athabaskan “old-timey” music style as the rest of the soundtrack, I imagined that this was a song that was written a hundred years ago when the @Nenana Ice Classic was picking up steam. For a century, the townspeople of Nenana, Alaska, have celebrated the Ice Classic, an annual contest in which participants place bets on the arrival of spring. Wagers come in from around the world to make for prizes of up to $350,000. Started in 1917 by railroad surveyors, the Ice Classic is a source of pride and much-needed employment for this often forgotten community.
The Nenana community goes to great lengths to uphold their tradition so I thought it was fitting they have song honoring the town and the tradition that keeps their collective soul alive. On the surface, the lyrics (written by my wife Larissa Rhodes and me) may seem a love song for a lost love coming back home, but the lyrics are actually written from the point of view of the giant tripod structure that floats down the river and is rebuilt every year.
Sing along if you’d like!
O Nenana
I’m coming home my dear
winter’s almost over
and spring is nearly here
I’m what they call Classic
so take a chance on me
O Nenana set me free
O Nenana sing it through the trees
You melt my chilly heart
and you bring me to my knees
Waitin’ for the the sun to shine
and let your warmth sink in
O Nenana raise my spirit once again
Oh! Gather ‘round
The soul of our town
and while the world
keeps moving on
Nenana, you’ll always belong
We brought together an incredible ensemble of musicians and instruments from Colorado's vibrant bluegrass community, including Enion Pelta-Tiller and David G. Tiller from the band TAARKA, John Ellington from the Legendary Katthouse Pickers , Greg Garrison of Leftover Salmon, Sierra Voss, cellist Eric Haugen, and Taylor Sims of Bonnie and the Clydes. Brad Smalling and Ethan Kotel Audio at Evergroove Studio lent their recording and mixing skills to bring the score to life.
For the Classic - A Documentary Film's credit sequence, director Tim Kaminski and I wanted to send off the town of Nenana, Alaska right by writing their very own song. Written in the same Athabaskan “old-timey” music style as the rest of the soundtrack, I imagined that this was a song that was written a hundred years ago when the @Nenana Ice Classic was picking up steam. For a century, the townspeople of Nenana, Alaska, have celebrated the Ice Classic, an annual contest in which participants place bets on the arrival of spring. Wagers come in from around the world to make for prizes of up to $350,000. Started in 1917 by railroad surveyors, the Ice Classic is a source of pride and much-needed employment for this often forgotten community.
The Nenana community goes to great lengths to uphold their tradition so I thought it was fitting they have song honoring the town and the tradition that keeps their collective soul alive. On the surface, the lyrics (written by my wife Larissa Rhodes and me) may seem a love song for a lost love coming back home, but the lyrics are actually written from the point of view of the giant tripod structure that floats down the river and is rebuilt every year.
Sing along if you’d like!
O Nenana
I’m coming home my dear
winter’s almost over
and spring is nearly here
I’m what they call Classic
so take a chance on me
O Nenana set me free
O Nenana sing it through the trees
You melt my chilly heart
and you bring me to my knees
Waitin’ for the the sun to shine
and let your warmth sink in
O Nenana raise my spirit once again
Oh! Gather ‘round
The soul of our town
and while the world
keeps moving on
Nenana, you’ll always belong
We brought together an incredible ensemble of musicians and instruments from Colorado's vibrant bluegrass community, including Enion Pelta-Tiller and David G. Tiller from the band TAARKA, John Ellington from the Legendary Katthouse Pickers , Greg Garrison of Leftover Salmon, Sierra Voss, cellist Eric Haugen, and Taylor Sims of Bonnie and the Clydes. Brad Smalling and Ethan Kotel Audio at Evergroove Studio lent their recording and mixing skills to bring the score to life.
