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Corps Officer Major Scott Nicloy plays his accordion while standing at the kettle in Wrangell, Alaska.
The kettle income for The Salvation Army in Wrangell, Alaska, is up this year, according to Major Scott Nicloy, corps officer.
The people of Wrangell are always generous, but something is different this holiday season: Nicloy is at the kettle every day playing his accordion.
“Managers and employees at the two main stores in town where I stand, as well as people in nearby business establishments, say they appreciate hearing the accordion,” Nicloy said. “A few people mentioned that hearing the music cheers them up and makes them want to keep giving to the kettle.”
The accordion music provides an alternative to the traditional bell-ringing.
With a population of approximately 2,400 people, Wrangell lies on the northern tip of Wrangell Island in the Alaska Panhandle. It is 155 miles south of Juneau, Alaska’s capital.
“The kettle is doing good despite the small number of people living in Wrangell,” Nicloy said. “We attribute the increase in kettle donations to the accordion.”
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