Santa visit brings joy to a frosty Alaska Inupiaq village

Helpers in the Alaska National Guard's Operation Santa Claus board a cargo plane at Joint Base Elmendorf-Anchorage on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, for a flight to Nuiqsut, Alaska. The guard's outreach program attempts to bring Santa and Mrs. Claus and gifts to children in two or three Alaska Native villages each year.

“They knew right away by the size of the plane, who was on that plane," Karasiewicz said of the students. For Nuiqsut, the adversity came last spring when an oil production facility about 7 miles from town sprang a natural gas leak. Though oil workers evacuated, there was no mandatory evacuation in Nuiqsut even though the community was put on alert, said Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, the town’s mayor.

"It’s about bringing in the National Guard in a non-stressful event so the kids could see them doing good work that’s not during a scary event,” she said. “He’s cool,” she said, flashing two thumbs up before heading to the bleachers to enjoy a fresh banana, a hard-to-find item above the Arctic Circle. Children also got a more location-appropriate treat: ice cream sundaes.

About 650 pounds of gifts were delivered to Minto for about 65 children, and nearly 1,800 pounds of gifts for the 325 or so children in Scammon Bay.

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