Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Josh Cote | 220507-N-UJ449-1055 NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA, Italy (May 7, 2022)— Allied NATO...... read more read more
What do Norwegian cheese, Ferrarris, flamenco dancing, and Sonic the Hedgehog have in common? All were present at the International Day hosted by NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force (NASGSF) in their hangar on May 7.
This event, the first held for NAGSF service members and families since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, featured booths from 18 of the countries represented here in Sigonella. In addition to the wide variety of cuisine to sample, there were also several red Ferraris on display, music for dancing, and multiple superheroes and characters mingling in the crowds. Many children had flags painted on their faces, and, as a special treat, several members of the community performed a flamenco dance.
“The NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force was proud to highlight the diverse cultures that come together here in Sicily,” said Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, commanding general of NAGSF. “The dancing, food and drink represent just a small part of the rich cultures of our 24 nations. Our hope is to continue to grow this event to share with the wider NASSIG community in years to come!”
Each booth was laden with many examples of the country’s food and drink specialties. Visitors could taste cloudberry jam from Norway, baklava from Turkey, sarmale (dumplings) from Romania, tiramisu from Italy, goulash from Hungary, crepes from France, gibanica from Croatia, peanut butter and jelly from the United States, and much more.
Marte Braarud of Norway brought her daughter Olivia in traditional Norwegian dress called “bunad.”
“I’m loving it!” Braarud said. “I love to taste a bit of the world.”
Tech. Sgt. Chelsea Baione took the lead on planning the event, which has been in the works since October 2021.
“The amount of planning for this event was tremendous to say the least,” said Baione. “We coordinated with various companies to provide goods, services, and rentals. We had to schedule deliveries and coordinate with our internal branches to provide cleanup for our hangar and vehicles for escorting companies onto base as well as to setup the event area. We also had to coordinate with the stands to understand what equipment they would be using, how much electricity they would need, what food or drinks they would provide, and what other support they needed for their stands.”
Of course, Baione didn’t do it all alone.
“In my immediate working group, which was the main organizational body, I had my Deputy Recreation Officer, a Health and Safety Officer, a Contracting Officer, and a Legal Assistance Advisor,” Baione said. “This main group sifted through all of the logistical, monetary, and organizational challenges and issues from this event. I also had 18 National POC’s for the 15 stands that participated in the event, some of our smaller national partners shared stands with one another. We also had all of our volunteers who participated in the event as well as those who prepared food and drinks for our national stands. Overall, it was a massive team effort!”
According to Baione, over 400 members and their families attended the event, which was considered a great success.
“It’s phenomenal,” said Staff Sgt. David Beardsley, who attended with his wife Kristina and their son Dawson. “It’s been a long time coming!”
Kristina agreed. “I didn’t realize how many NATO countries we had represented here,” she said.
Dawson, two and half years old, enjoyed the Ferraris in particular, adding, “I like it!”
Although this was the first event of its kind for NAGSF, if all goes well, it won’t be the last.
“People connect through food and gathering together,” commented Baione. “This team is so diverse with all of our national partners, and it’s nice to slow down and bond with one another outside of work.”
| Date Taken: | 05.23.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.31.2022 09:38 |
| Story ID: | 421466 |
| Location: | SIGONELLA, IT |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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