AMCC celebrates annual Christmas potlatch
Anvil Mountain Correctional Center celebrated the season with its annual Potlatch on Wednesday.
The event includes inmates, staff, and members of the community who come to the facility for a great feast.
The tables groan under the weight of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, salads, all the traditional extras, and an array of specially prepared cookies and pies. The cooking is done by the inmates of the facility.
Families are able to join incarcerated loved ones and the inmates enjoy performances by church and other groups. Superintendent Sandy Martinson welcomed all to the celebration and the meal began. Immediately after the musicians took the floor. This year, EJ Rochon accompanied by her mother Francine Johnson, sang Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues but with the name changed to Anvil Mountain Blues.
Guest speaker Mayor Richard Beneville sang an a cappela Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire and the Hobbs family performed two Christmas Songs. The AMCC Choir, led by Lloyd Perrigo, sang.
Inmates passed out hats and other items they’d crocheted to the visitors and then it was time for the St. Lawrence Island dancers to perform. A number of inmates joined in both as dancers and drummers.
The Potlatch is an annual high point on the seasonal calendar for Nome and the surrounding regions. The staff and the inmates aim to create a community gathering which generates such positive energy.